Aheavy-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) (byNASA 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]
From left to right: Falcon Heavy, Long March 5, Proton-M | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
Operators | Various space organizations |
Preceded by | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
Succeeded by | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle |
Built | 1966– |
On order |
|
Active |
|
Retired |
|
General characteristics | |
Propulsion | Various liquid-fueled engines and solid motors |
Capacity |
|
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.
Rocket | In service | Manufacturer | Max. LEO payload | Launches >20 t | Heaviest launch | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
...to LEOorMEO | ...to GTOorGSO | ...to HEO and beyond | |||||
OperationalCurrently operational rockets that have demonstrated their heavy-lift capability to low Earth orbit: | |||||||
Long March 5/5B (CZ-5/5B) |
since 2016 | CALT | 25,000 kg (55,000 lb)[4] |
4 | 23,200 kg[5] Wentian Lab Module 24 July 2022 |
~14,000 kg[6] Yaogan-41 15 December 2023 |
8,350 kg[7] to Moon Chang'e 6 3 May 2024 |
Proton-M | since 2001 | Khrunichev | 23,000 kg (51,000 lb)[8] |
1 | 23,200 kg[9] Nauka 21 July 2021 |
6,740 kg[10] ViaSat-1 19 October 2011 |
3,755 kg to Mars[11] ExoMars TGO 9 June 2016 |
UnprovenRockets that have not flown a 20-tonne payload to LEO, but are rated over this threshold: | |||||||
Angara-A5 | since 2014 | Khrunichev, | 24,500 kg (54,000 lb)[12][a] |
0 | — | 2,400 kg[13] Mass simulator 14 December 2020 |
— |
Falcon 9 Full Thrust (expendable configuration)[b] |
since 2015 | SpaceX | 22,800 kg (50,300 lb)[14] |
0 | 17,500 kg[15] (partially reusable configuration) |
7,350 kg[16] Galaxy 33 and Galaxy 34 8 October 2022 (partially reusable configuration) |
1,931 kg toMoon[17] IM-1 15 February 2024 (partially reusable configuration) |
Falcon Heavy (with all boosters reusable)[c] |
since 2018 | SpaceX | 38,000–45,000 kg (84,000–99,000 lb) [18] |
0 | 3,700 kg[d] STP-2 25 June 2019 |
6,465 kg[19][e] Arabsat-6A 11 April 2019 |
1,300 kg beyond Mars orbit[20] Tesla Roadster 6 February 2018 |
Vulcan Centaur | since 2024 | United Launch Alliance | 25,000 kg (56,000 lb)[21] | 0 | — | — | 1,283 kg to Moon Peregrine Mission One[22] 8 January 2024 (Maiden flight) |
Ariane 6 (A64) | since 2024[23][24] | ArianeGroup for ESA | 21,650 kg (47,730 lb)[25]: 46 | — | — | — | — |
New Glenn[26] | since 2024[27] | Blue Origin | 45,000 kg (99,000 lb)[28] | ||||
RetiredFormerly operational rockets with a payload capacity of between 20 and 50 tonnes: | |||||||
Delta IV Heavy | 2004 to 2024 | ULA | 28,790 kg (63,470 lb)[29] |
1 public (up to 4 classified) |
~21,000 kg[30][f] Orion EFT-1 5 December 2014 |
Classified[g] | ~685 kg to heliocentric Parker Solar Probe |
Saturn IB | 1966 to 1975 | Chrysler (S-IB), Douglas (S-IVB) | 21,000 kg (46,000 lb)[31] |
2 | 20,847 kg Skylab 4 16 November 1973 |
— | — |
/ Proton-K | 1967 to 2012 | Khrunichev | 19,760 kg (43,560 lb)[32] |
4[33] | 22,776 kg Zvezda 26 July 2000 |
4,723 kg Intelsat 903 30 March 2002 |
6,220 kg to Mars Phobos 1 7 July 1988 |
Space Shuttle | 1981 to 2011 | United Space Alliance | 24,400 kg (53,800 lb) (excluding orbiter weight)[34] |
11 | 22,753 kg Chandra X-Ray Observatory 28 July 1999 |
||
Titan IV | 1989 to 2005 | Lockheed Martin | 21,680 kg (47,800 lb)[35] | up to 7 (classified) | Classified[g] (KH-11 launches had 19,600 kg[36]) |
Classified[g] | 5,712 kg to Saturn Cassini–Huygens 15 October 1997 |
Ariane 5 (ECA and ES) |
2002 to 2023 | Airbus for ESA | 21,000 kg (46,000 lb)[37] |
4 | 20,293 kg[38] Georges Lemaître ATV 29 July 2014 |
11,210 kg[39] SES-17 and Syracuse 4A 23 October 2021 |
6,161.4 kg to Sun-Earth L2[40] James Webb Space Telescope 25 December 2021 |
In developmentRockets that are actively being developed: | |||||||
HLV | TBD | Indian Space Research Organisation | 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) | — | — | — | — |
SHLV | TBD | Indian Space Research Organisation | 41,300 kg (91,100 lb)[41] | — | — | — | — |
Zhuque-3 | NET 2025 | LandSpace | 21,000 kg (46,000 lb)[42] | — | — | — | — |
Gravity-2 | NET 2025 | Orienspace | 25,600 kg (56,400 lb)[43] | — | — | — | — |
Terran R | NET 2026[44] | Relativity Space | 33,500 kg (73,900 lb) | — | — | — | — |
Angara-A5V | ~2027 | Khrunichev, Polyot | 38,000 kg (83,876 lb) | — | — | — | — |
H3 Heavy | 2030 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for JAXA | 28,300 kg (62,400 lb)[45] | — | — | — | — |
Cancelled concepts | |||||||
Ares I | — | NASA (canceled in 2010)[46] |
25,400 kg (56,000 lb) | — | — | — | — |
Saturn C-3 | — | NASA (cancelled in 1963) Engines developed for Saturn V |
45,000 kg (99,000 lb) [h] | — | — | — | — |
Vulcan / ACES | — | United Launch Alliance (abandoned in 2020)[47] |
37,400 kg (82,500 lb)[29][48][i] | — | — | — | — |
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Peller described ACES as a concept that ULA is no longer actively pursuing. "We did a lot of studies, we invested in a lot of technology development to assess the feasibility of some of the innovative features of ACES", he said. "That has served us well, because a lot of that original ACES work has its fingerprints in our new version of Centaur, the Centaur 5 we're fielding with Vulcan. Those studies five, eight years ago certainly served us well, and it put us on a good path forward here for the evolution of our upper stages. We will continue to evolve our upper stage to meet the needs of the market going forward".