Fun fact, due to the same design choices US-designed missiles are vulnerable to a failure mode called a "hang fire" (see for example https://www.navaltoday.com/2018/06/25/sm-2-missile-fails-to-... ) where the rocket engine has ignited but the missile is stuck inside the ship for some reason.

The VLS designers had to massively overengineer the bottom part of the VLS "plenum" (the bottom part) to be able to withstand the largest missile that will fit inside a VLS to fully burn out inside it without melting through the bottom and endangering the structural integrity of the ship it is in.