Possibly not able to carry enough chemical fuel to lift the fuel into space and return and do a controlled landing without refueling? That seems more plausible.
Fuel is heavy, and most of it is spent on... lifting fuel.
Fuel is heavy, and most of it is spent on... lifting fuel.
Having a nuclear explosion for example behind the rocket would surely be enough to push it into space... even on Jupiter.
Not quite, it's all about mass flow.