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Comparison of orbital launch systems

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List of launch systems capable of lifting to LEO at least 20,000 kg,[citation needed] but less than 50,000 kg, the minimum threshold for Super Heavy Lift Vehicles defined in the Augustine report.[1]

The Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles are the most capable launch vehicles in active service as currently there are no operational vehicles that could lift bigger payloads (if we don't count the returnable Space Shuttle orbiters themselves as payload), because all Super-Heavy Lift Vehicles are either already retired or still in development.

Retired, Operational and Under development

In the table below, systems that have not yet conducted a successful launch are listed in italics.

Legend for below table:   [under development] — [retired or canceled] — [operational or available]

Vehicle Origin Manufacturer Mass to
LEO
(kg) 		Mass to
GTO
(kg) 		Cost
(Mil US$) 		Cost/kg
(LEO) (US$) 		Cost/kg
(GTO) (US$) 		Launch record
[note 1] 		Current Status Active Period
[note 2] 		Image
Angara A5  Russia Khrunichev 024,500Template:Smn[2][3] 0 Development 1995 —
Angara A7  Russia Khrunichev 041,000Template:Smn[2][3] 0 Development 1995 —
Ares I  United States Alliant Techsystems (Stage I)
Boeing (Stage II) 		025,600Template:Smn[4] 0 Development
Cancellation Pending 		2005 —
Ariane 5 ECA and ES[5]  Europe EADS Astrium 021,000[6] 009,600 [7]Template:Smn 0020,000[8][dead link]Template:Smn Operational 2002 —
Atlas V HLV [9]  United States United Launch Alliance 029,420 [10]Template:Smn 013,000 [10]Template:Smn 0 available [11] ~ 3 years
[dubious – discuss]
Delta IV Heavy  United States United Launch Alliance 022,950 [12]Template:Smn 012,980 [12]Template:Smn 2/3[citation needed] Operational 2004 —
Energia-Buran (STS)  Soviet Union NPO Energia (Energia launcher)
NPO Molniya (Buran orbiter) 		030,000[13]
[note 3]Template:Smn 		1/1
[note 4] 		Retired 1988 File:Buran Energiya.jpg
Falcon 9 Heavy  United States SpaceX 032,000[14]Template:Smn 019,500[14]Template:Smn 000095[14]
[note 5]Template:Smn 		002,969[14]Template:Smn 004,872[14]Template:Smn 0 Development 2005 —
Long March 5  People's Republic of China China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology 025,000[15]Template:Smn 014,000[15]Template:Smn 0 Development 2002 — 2014
Proton  Soviet Union
 Russia 		Khrunichev 021,600[16]Template:Smn 006,360[16]Template:Smn 000085[17]Template:Smn 004,302[17]Template:Smn 018,359[17]Template:Smn 294/335[18] Operational 1965 —
Rus-MT-35 and MT-50[19]  Russia TsSKB-Progress 035,500-54,000(vary modifications)[20][21]Template:Smn 007,500-11,500[20][22]Template:Smn 0 Development 2009 — 2018, 1-st launch 2015 (unpilot) and 2018 (pilot).
Saturn IB  United States Chrysler (S-IB)
Douglas (S-IVB) 		020,412 Template:Smn 9/9[citation needed] Retired 1966 — 1975
Space Shuttle (STS)  United States Alliant Techsystems (SRBs)
Martin Marietta (ET)
Rockwell International (Orbiter) 		024,400
[note 3] Template:Smn 		003,810[citation needed] (with Inertial Upper Stage) Template:Smn 000300[17]Template:Smn 010,416[17]Template:Smn 050,874[17]Template:Smn 130/132[23]
[note 6] 		Operational
Retirement pending 		1981 — 2011
Titan IVB  United States Lockheed Martin 021,682Template:Smn[24] 005,761[24]
(9,000 with upper stage) Template:Smn 		000350 250 – 350[24]Template:Smn 013836 060753 Retired 1997 — 2005 File:Titan IV rocket.jpg
Vehicle Origin Manufacturer Mass to
LEO
(kg) 		Mass to
GTO
(kg) 		Cost
(Mil US$) 		Cost/kg
(LEO) (US$) 		Cost/kg
(GTO) (US$) 		Launch record
[note 1] 		Status Active Period
[note 2] 		Image

Proposed and design concepts

Notes

File:Space shuttle US.jpg
US Space Shuttle - integrated launch system of rocket and spaceplane-orbiter
File:Space shuttle USSR.jpg
Soviet Energia-Buran - system of separate rocket launcher and spaceplane-orbiter
  1. ^ a b The column launch record is defined here as the number of times the launch vehicle achieved a desired orbit (e.g. payload separation orbit, final mission orbit, etc.) with the payload intact, divided by the total number of attempted launches.
    Launches into a useless orbit (i.e., an orbit from which the payload is unable to operate) are excluded from success, as is the case of a launch in which the payload was destroyed before the launch vehicle achieved a desired orbit. Success of the launches is determined by the performance of the launch vehicle itself and classification is not affected by subsequent failures of other elements like payload separation failure, payload propulsion failure (not reaching a desired payload final orbit from the desired transfer orbit), other payload failures (including re-entry failures). Other definitions of launch success may result in different values for the launch success record (see notes where applicable).
    The total number of launch attempts includes development and test launches, if the launcher is in its complete expected configuration (and sub-orbital launches if so noted), but pre-launch failures are not included.
  2. ^ a b The column active period is defined here as the years between first and final scheduled launch flights/attempts or years of development for launch vehicles that have made no launch attempts.
  3. ^ a b The US Space Shuttle Transportation System and the Soviet Energia-Buran system, consist of launch vehicle rockets and returnable spaceplane orbiter. Payload values listed here are for the mass of the payload in cargo bay of the spaceplanes, excluding the mass of the spaceplanes themselves.
  4. ^ Energia launched only once in the configuration with Buran orbiter. The other launch of Energia was with the 80mt Polyus payload and is listed in the super heavy lift category.
  5. ^ SpaceX "Standard launch services pricing" valid through 2010-09-31. Requires payment in full at time of signing of the launch contract.
  6. ^ The Space Shuttle has two mission failures, the STS-51-L and STS-107. STS-51-L exploded during launch. STS-107 mission did successfully place its payload into orbit; however, the vehicle (and return-payload) was destroyed on reentry (see Space Shuttle Columbia disaster), because of damage sustained during launch.

See also

References

  1. ^ HSF Final Report: Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation, October 2009, Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee, p. 65-66.
  2. ^ a b Семейство ракет-носителей «Ангара», date unknown, Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  3. ^ a b http://www.russianspaceweb.com/angara7.html
  4. ^ http://event.arc.nasa.gov/aresv/ppt/Saturday/2Sumrall/2Sumrall.pdf
  5. ^ The two heavy-lift variants of Ariane 5 are the Ariane 5 ECA, used for GTO launches; and the Ariane 5 ES, used for LEO / ISS launches. See the main article on Ariane 5 for detailed explanations.
  6. ^ "Ariane 5 Users Manual, Issue 4, P. 39 (ISS orbit)" (PDF). Arianespace. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  7. ^ "Ariane 5 ECA Overview". Arianespace. Archived from the original on 2007-11-04. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  8. ^ "Rising Launch Prices Buoy Arianespace's Outlook". Space.com. Retrieved 2007-01-17. [dead link]
  9. ^ United Launch Alliance. "Atlas V Product Card" (PDF).
  10. ^ a b "Atlas Product Sheet, FINAL" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Retrieved 2007-12-12. [dead link]
  11. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/atlas-v.htm Atlas V EELV - Lockheed-Martin Retrieved on 2008-02-08
  12. ^ a b "Delta Product Sheet, FINAL" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  13. ^ "S.P.Korolev RSC Energia - LAUNCHERS". Energia.
  14. ^ a b c d e "FALCON 9 HEAVY OVERVIEW". SpaceX. 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  15. ^ a b "ChangZheng 5 (Long March 5) Launch Vehicle". SinoDefence.com. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  16. ^ a b "Proton Launch System Mission Planner's Guide, LKEB-9812-1990" (PDF). International Launch Services. pp. 2–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2007-11-12. LEO i = 51.6°, H = 200 km circular ... GTO (1800 m/s from GSO) i = 31.0°, Hp = 2100 km, Ha = 35,786 km
  17. ^ a b c d e f "Space Transportation Costs: Trends in Price Per Pound to Orbit 1990-2000" (PDF). Futron. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  18. ^ Encyclopedia Astronautica - Proton
  19. ^ http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Русь-М#cite_note-novosti-kosmonavtiki-0
  20. ^ a b Zak, Anatoly (2009). "Launch vehicle for the PPTS spacecraft". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  21. ^ http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Русь-М#cite_note-novosti-kosmonavtiki-0
  22. ^ http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Русь-М#cite_note-novosti-kosmonavtiki-0
  23. ^ Ed Kyle, Active Launch Vehicle Reliability Statistics page on Launch Report site, Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  24. ^ a b c "Fact Sheet - TITAN IVB". United States Air Force. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  25. ^ http://commercialspace.pbworks.com/f/SpaceX_Overview_TEM%20small.pptx
  26. ^ http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/jarvis.htm
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