Rocket Thrower stands 43 feet (13 metres) high and depicts an athletic and god-like man launching, with his right hand, a small sphere into the sky which leaves an arcing trail of flames behind.

His left hand is raised skyward and reaches for a swirl of stars which encircle the path of the rocket.

On the front of the perch (facing the Unisphere) are three distinct stars arranged in an angled line across its short width.

De Lue explained the work as "the spiritual concept of man’s relationship to space and his venturesome spirit backed up by all the powers of his intelligence for the exploration of a new dimension."

However, The New York Times art critic John Canaday described it as "the most lamentable monster, making Walt Disney look like Leonardo Da Vinci.