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Rocket Configuration Organization Nationality Mass to LEO (kg) Maiden successful flight Heaviest known launch (kg) Status Reusable Launches
(success / total) 		Launch cost Cost / t
(2020, US$ in millions)
...to LEO or MEO ...to GTO or GSO ...to HEO and beyond
Saturn V Apollo/Skylab NASA  United States 140,000A 1967 76,540[1] — 45,200 to TLI Retired
(1973) 		No 12G / 13 US$1.23 billion (2019) $8.9
N1 OKB-1  Soviet Union 95,000 None — — — Cancelled (1974) No 0 / 4 3 billion RUB (1971) $16
Energia NPO Energia 100,000B 1988B 80,000[2] — — Retired
(1988) 		No 2 / 2 US$764 million (1985) $18
Falcon Heavy Recoverable Side Boosters SpaceX  United States 57,000[3] 2022 — 9,200[4] 2,608 Operational PartiallyC 6 / 6F US$90 million (2018) $1.6
Expended 63,800[5] 2023 — 6,722 6,065 Operational No 2 / 2F US$150 million (2018) $2.4
SLS Block 1 NASA 95,000[6]D 2022 — — 26,520 Operational No 1 / 1 US$2.2 billion (2021) $22.1
Block 1B 105,000[7] Planned (2028) — — — Under development No — ? ?
Block 2 130,000[8] Planned (2031) — — — Under development No — ? ?
Starship Block 1 SpaceX ~50,000–100,000[9][10]E 2024 Unknown — — Retired
(2024) 		Partially 4 / 6 Projected US$<90 million (2024)[11]I $<0.75
Block 2 ~100,000–150,000[10]E Planned (2025) — — — Under development Planned (fully) — Projected US$<10 million (2024)[11]I $<0.056
Block 3 ~200 t (440,000 lb)[12]E TBA — — — Under development Planned (fully) — Projected US$<6 million (2024)[12] $<0.025
Long March 10 CALT  China 70 t (150,000 lb)[13] Planned (2027) — — — Under development No — ? ?
Long March 9 150 t (330,000 lb)[14] Planned (2033) — — — Under development Planned (partially) — ? ?
Yenisei Yenisei Progress  Russia 103 t (227,000 lb) TBA — — — Under development No — ? ?
Don 130 t (290,000 lb) TBA — — — Under development No — ? ?

^A Includes mass of Apollo command and service modules, Apollo Lunar Module, Spacecraft/LM Adapter, Saturn V Instrument Unit, S-IVB stage, and propellant for translunar injection; payload mass to LEO is about 122.4 t (270,000 lb).[15]
^B Required upper stage or payload to perform final orbital insertion.
^C Side booster cores recoverable, center core intentionally expended. First re-use of the side boosters was demonstrated in 2019 when the ones used on the Arabsat-6A launch were reused on the STP-2 launch.
^D Includes mass of Orion spacecraft, European Service Module, Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, and propellant for translunar injection.
^E Does not include dry mass of spaceship.
^F Falcon Heavy has launched 11 times since 2018, but first three times did not qualify as a "super heavy" because recovery of the center core was attempted.
^G Apollo 6 was a "partial failure": It reached orbit, but had problems with the second and third stages.
^I Estimate by third party.
^J Block 1 boosters were proven to be recoverable during Starship flight test 5, but were not reused on any subsequent Block 1 flights.


Clockwise from top left: Falcon 9, Soyuz-2, LVM3, Nuri, H-IIA, Long March 2D
Class overview
NameMedium-lift launch vehicle
Preceded bySmall-lift launch vehicle
Succeeded byHeavy-lift launch vehicle
BuiltSince 1958
General characteristics
Capacity
  • US definition: 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb)
  • Russian definition: 5,000 to 20,000 kg (11,000 to 44,000 lb)

A medium-lift launch vehicle (MLV) is a rocket launch vehicle that is capable of lifting between 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb) by NASA classification or between 5,000 to 20,000 kilograms (11,000 to 44,000 lb) by Russian classification[16] of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO).[17] An MLV is between a small-lift launch vehicle and a heavy-lift launch vehicle. Medium-lift vehicles comprise the majority of orbital launches as of 2024, with both the Soyuz and Falcon 9 having launched several hundred times.

History

[edit]
Atlas-Centaur launching Surveyor 1 in 1966

Soviet Union and Russia

[edit]

The Soviet R-7 family was based off of the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Sputnik was a small-lift derivative that carried the first satellite into orbit, and the R-7 design quickly grew in capacity, with Luna launching in 1958. The 1960s saw the R-7 series continue to develop, with Vostok 1 carrying the first human into space, Voskhod carrying multiple crew members, and the first Soyuz. As of 2024, Soyuz variants are still operational and have launched over 1,100 times. The R-7 family has launched more times than any other family of orbital rockets.[18]

United States

[edit]

The first US medium-lift vehicle was a purpose-built orbital launch vehicle, the Saturn I. Saturn I first launched in 1961, and the Saturn family would eventually grow into the heavy-lift Saturn IB and the super-heavy lift Saturn V.

ICBM-derived launch vehicles for the US include the Atlas, Titan, and Delta families. Atlas-Centaur launched in 1962 and marked the first use of a Centaur upper stage. As of 2024, the derivative Atlas V is still operational; Centaur has seen extensive use on multiple vehicles and is operational on the Atlas V and Vulcan vehicles. Titan II GLV carried the Gemini spacecraft. The family was further developed into Titan III which utilized solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and in 1989, the heavy-lift Titan IV. Medium-lift versions of the Delta family include Delta II which utilized up to nine SRBs, and the Delta IV which could use optional SRBs or three first-stage cores as a heavy variant.

SpaceX introduced the Falcon 9 in 2010, designed to be a partially reusable launch vehicle. Falcon 9 underwent iterative upgrades and completed the first propulsive landing of an orbital rocket stage in 2015.[19] SpaceX then began regularly reusing first stages.[20] In 2022, Falcon 9 broke the record of 47 launches in one year held by Soyuz-U, and Falcon 9 launched 91 times in 2023.[21]

Other

[edit]

China's Long March family was introduced in the 1970s, as was Eruope's Ariane family. Japan launched the H-I in 1986 before developing the H-II and H3. India introduced the PSLV in 1993. South Korea's Nuri reached orbit in 2022.

Design

[edit]

With dozens of different vehicles having flown, medium-lift vehicles have used different configurations.

Stages

[edit]

All medium-lift have been multistage rockets; vehicles such as Saturn I used two stages, while PSLV uses four stages plus boosters. Soyuz uses boosters which Russia considers its first stage, plus a center core stage and one to two upper stages.

Fuel

[edit]

Some vehicles, such as Falcon 9 and Delta IV, use one type of fuel for both stages. Other vehicles use different fuel types for different stages.

Solid

[edit]

Solid rocket boosters (SRBs) have been used on vehicles including Delta II and Titan III. Atlas V can be configured multiple ways, including the option of SRBs ranging from zero to five. Antares uses the solid-fueled Castor as an upper stage.

Liquid

[edit]

Liquid fuels include RP-1 (kerosene) used on Falcon 9 and Soyuz, cryogenic liquid hydrogen used by Delta IV and the Centaur upper stage, and hypergolic propellants used on Titan and Long March vehicles. Vehicles using liquid methane were produced in the 2020s; the Chinese Zhuque-2 was the first methalox rocket to achieve orbit, and Vulcan Centaur launched in 2024.

  1. ^ Belew, L. F.; Stuhlinger, E. (January 1973). "EP-107 Skylab: A Guidebook". NASA. Retrieved 28 February 2017. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Polyus". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2of3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rainbow, Jason (2023-08-14). "Connecting the Dots | Jupiter-3 rises on ViaSat-3's fall". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  5. ^ "Falcon Heavy". SpaceX. 2012-11-16. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Harbaugh, Jennifer, ed. (9 July 2018). "The Great Escape: SLS Provides Power for Missions to the Moon". NASA. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Space Launch System" (PDF). NASA Facts. NASA. 11 October 2017. FS-2017-09-92-MSFC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  8. ^ Creech, Stephen (April 2014). "NASA's Space Launch System: A Capability for Deep Space Exploration" (PDF). NASA. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  9. ^ NASASpaceflight (2024-04-16). Elon Reveals Starship Version 3; We Have Questions!. Retrieved 2024-12-31 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ a b "SpaceX – Starship". SpaceX. Apr 17, 2024. Retrieved Apr 17, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Rich (February 11, 2024). "The Secret to SpaceX's $10 Million Starship, and How SpaceX Will Dominate Space for Years to Come". The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Berger, Eric (2024-04-08). "Elon Musk just gave another Mars speech—this time the vision seems tangible". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  13. ^ Xin, Ling (30 April 2024). "China's most powerful space engine configuration is 'ready for flight'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  14. ^ Beil, Adrian (2023-03-03). "Starship debut leading the rocket industry toward full reusability". NASASpaceflight.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  15. ^ "Yes, NASA's New Megarocket Will be More Powerful Than the Saturn V". Space.com. 16 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  16. ^ Osipov, Yuri (2004–2017). Great Russian Encyclopedia. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  17. ^ NASA Space Technology Roadmaps – Launch Propulsion Systems, p.11 Archived 24 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine: "Small: 0-2t payloads, Medium: 2-20t payloads, Heavy: 20-50t payloads, Super Heavy: >50t payloads"
  18. ^ Siddiqi, Asif. "Soviet/Russian Launch Vehicles". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  19. ^ Chang, Kenneth (21 December 2015). "Spacex Successfully Lands Rocket after Launch of Satellites into Orbit". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  20. ^ Berger, Eric (20 September 2023). "SpaceX breaks another booster reuse record, but did anyone see it?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Most launches in a single year (single rocket model)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
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