Heavy-lift launch vehicle
![]() ![]() ![]() From left: Falcon Heavy, Long March 5, Proton-M | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
Preceded by | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
Succeeded by | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle |
Built | Since 1966 |
General characteristics | |
Capacity | 20,000 to 50,000 kg (44,000 to 110,000 lb) |
A heavy-lift launch vehicle is an orbital launch vehicle capable of generating a large amount of lift to reach its intended orbit. Heavy-lift launch vehicles generally are capable of lifting payloads between 20,000 to 50,000 kg (44,000 to 110,000 lb) (by NASA classification) or between 20,000 to 100,000 kilograms (44,000 to 220,000 lb) (by Russian classification)[1] into low Earth orbit (LEO).[2] As of 2024[update], operational heavy-lift launch vehicles include the Long March 5 and the Proton-M.[3]
In addition, the Angara A5, the Falcon 9 Full Thrust, the Falcon Heavy, the Vulcan Centaur, Ariane 6, and New Glenn are designed to provide heavy-lift capabilities in at least some configurations but have not yet been proven to carry a 20-tonne payload into LEO. Several other heavy-lift rockets are in development. An HLV is between medium-lift launch vehicles and super heavy-lift launch vehicles.
Rated launch vehicles
Operational
Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Heaviest launch | Launches[a] | First flight | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
...to LEO or MEO | ...to GTO or GSO | ...to HEO and beyond | ||||||
Long March 5/5B | ![]() | CALT | 25,000[4] | 23,200[5] | 14,000[6] | 8,350 to Moon[7] | 4 | 2016 |
Proton-M | ![]() | Khrunichev | 23,000[8] | 23,200[9] | 6,740[10] | 3,755 to Mars[11] | 1 | 2001 |
Angara A5 | ![]() | Khrunichev KBKhA | 24,500[12][b] | — | 2,400[13] | — | 0 | 2014 |
Falcon Heavy[c] | ![]() | SpaceX | 38,000–45,000[d] [14] | 3,700[e] | 6,465[15][f] | 1,300 to HCO[16] | 0 | 2018 |
Vulcan Centaur | ![]() | ULA | 25,000[17] | — | — | 1,283 to Moon[18] | 0 | 2024 |
Under development
Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Expected flight |
---|---|---|---|---|
New Glenn[19] | ![]() | Blue Origin | 45,000[20] | 2024[21] |
Ariane 6 (A64) | ![]() ![]() | ArianeGroup | 21,650[22] | 2024[23][24] |
HLV | ![]() | ISRO | 20,000 | TBD |
SHLV | ![]() | ISRO | 41,300[25] | TBD |
Zhuque-3 | ![]() | LandSpace | 21,000[26] | 2025 |
Gravity-2 | ![]() | Orienspace | 25,600[27] | 2025 |
Terran R | ![]() | Relativity Space | 33,500 | 2026[28] |
Angara-A5V | ![]() | Khrunichev, Polyot | 38,000 | 2027 |
H3 Heavy | ![]() | Mitsubishi | 28,300[29] | 2030 |
Retired
Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Heaviest launch | Launches | First flight | Last Flight | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
...to LEO or MEO | ...to GTO or GSO | ...to HEO and beyond | |||||||
Saturn IB | ![]() | Chrysler & Douglas | 21,000 | 20,847 | — | — | 2 | 1966 | 1975 |
Proton-K | ![]() ![]() | Khrunichev | 19,760[30] | 22,776 | 4,723 | 6,220 | 4[31] | 1967 | 2012 |
Space Shuttle | ![]() | USA | 24,400[h][32] | 22,753 | — | — | 11 | 1981 | 2011 |
Titan IV | ![]() | Lockheed Martin | 21,680[33] | Classified[i][j] | Classified[i] | 5,712 to Saturn | up to 7 (classified) | 1989 | 2005 |
Ariane 5 ECA/ES | ![]() ![]() | Ariane Group | 21,000[35] | 20,293[36] | 11,210[37] | 6,161.4 to Sun-Earth L2[38] | 4 | 2002 | 2023 |
Delta IV Heavy | ![]() | ULA | 28,790[39] | 21,000[40][l] | Classified[i] | 685 to heliocentric orbit | 1 public (up to 4 classified) | 2004 | 2024 |
Notes
- ^ Only counting launches between 20,000 and 50,000 kg.
- ^ from Vostochny cosmodrome
- ^ When all cores are recovered. When the center core is expended, Falcon Heavy is classified as a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with a theoretical payload to LEO over 50,000 kg
- ^ Depends on whether the center booster is recovered or not
- ^ The 600 kg DSX was boosted to Medium Earth Orbit
- ^ to 90,000-km supersynchronous GTO
- ^ The lead manufacturer is from France, but the rocket has significant contributions from companies based in Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden.
- ^ excluding orbiter weight
- ^ a b c Actual payloads flown are classified under the NRO launch program.
- ^ KH-11 launches had 19,600 kg[34]
- ^ The lead manufacturer is from France, but the rocket has significant contributions from companies based across Europe.
- ^ The officially reported mass of 21,000 kg includes the Launch Abort System (LAS) which did not reach orbit, but excludes the residual mass of the upper stage, which did reach orbit, likely offsetting the mass of the LAS.
See also
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
- Comparison of orbital rocket engines
- Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
- List of orbital launch systems
- Sounding rocket, suborbital launch vehicle
- Small-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) to low Earth orbit
- Medium-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting between 2,000 and 20,000 kg (4,400 and 44,100 lb) to low Earth orbit
- Super heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting more than 50,000 kg (110,000 lb) to Low Earth orbit
References
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- ^ 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"
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- ^ McCrea, Aaron (8 January 2024). "Vulcan successfully launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural flight". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "New Glenn". Blue Origin. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (8 March 2017). "Eutelsat first customer for Blue Origin's New Glenn". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ Foust, Jeff [@jeff_foust] (24 April 2024). "For what it's worth: a NASA presentation at a COSPAR planetary protection meeting this morning listed a Sept. 29 launch date for ESCAPADE, the Mars orbiter smallsat mission flying on Blue Origin's New Glenn" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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- ^ Jones, Andrew (11 January 2024). "Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Shuttle". www.astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ astronautix.com, Titan IV Archived 18 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine
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