> However, I still don't get the rationale of building a rocket with such a large payload
Operations cost. They are sublinear on payload/size. At least this is what Space X/Musk seem to go for.
Operations cost. They are sublinear on payload/size. At least this is what Space X/Musk seem to go for.
There's also many advantages to being able to lift something large/heavy in one go, rather than smaller payloads that need to be unfolded (like JWST) or assembled in space, which can drastically increase the development costs.