Why do missiles have fins, while modern space rockets don’t?
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The fins are there to keep the rocket stable and ensure the pointy end is pointing forward. The fins might also have rudders on them which are movable surfaces used to control the direction. But the fins do create some drag and slow down the rocket. Another way to keep the rocket stable and to control it is to use thrust vectoring. However this only works when the engine is running. When the engine stops the rocket may end up out of control. For a missile this tends to be a problem as the rocket often burns out of fuel before it hits the target. However for a space rocket it is far more common to detatch the spent stage and ignite the next stage before it goes too far out of control. Of course there are plenty of situations where missiles do not have finns as they drag too much or where launch rockets have fins as they are much simpler then thrust vectoring.
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