How long does it take to build a rocket in real life?

Question

How long does it take to build a rocket in real life?

Answer 1

Go down to your local hobby store, pick up a kit.  For an easy kit, and if you don't bother painting it, you can have it together with the glue dry in under an hour.  Fire away!

You want to get to space?  This is serious work.  The easy way to get to space, though, is to earn $20 - $30 million dollars, and ask the nice Russians for a ride.

Answer 2

Depends on the rocket.  From concept to construction of the Saturn V, for example, was about 7 years.  The space shuttle took about 11 years. The new Orion module and Antares launch vehicles are estimated to be about 8 years away, using alread-proven technology.

Answer 3

In "real life", you ask?  Where else could you build one?

It depends entirely on the size and sophistication of the rocket.  At the high end, it can take a large team of engineers more than a decade to design and have one built, and it can cost billions of dollars.  At the low end, you can buy an Estes model rocket that is pretty much ready to launch.