Medium-lift launch vehicle
Appearance
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 classificationf[1] of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO).[2] An MLV is between small-lift launch vehicles and heavy-lift launch vehicles.
Rated launch vehicles
Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) |
Mass to other orbits (kg) |
Launches | Status | First flight | Last flight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vostok | Soviet Union | RSC Energia | 4,730 | 163 | Retired | 1958 | 1991 | |
Saturn I | United States | Chrysler & Douglas | 9,000 | 10 | Retired | 1961 | 1965
long | |
Atlas-Centaur | United States | Lockheed | 5,100 | 61 | Retired | 1962 | 1983 | |
Titan II GLV | United States | Martin | 3,580 | 12 | Retired | 1964 | 1966 | |
Titan IIIC | United States | Martin | 13,100 | 3,000 to GTO 1,200 to TMI |
36 | Retired | 1965 | 1982 |
Molniya-M | Soviet Union Russia |
TsSKB-Progress | 2,400 | 280 | Retired | 1965 | 2010 | |
Proton-K | Soviet Union Russia |
Khrunichev | 19,760 | 311 | Retired | 1965 | 2012 | |
Soyuz original | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | 6,450 | 32 | Retired | 1966 | 1975 | |
R-36 Tsyklon | Soviet Union Ukraine |
Yuzhmash | 2,820-5,250 (depends on variant)[3][4] | 500-910 to GTO[5] | 236 | Retired | 1967 | 2009 |
Soyuz-L | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | 5,500 | 3 | Retired | 1970 | 1971 | |
Titan IIID | United States | Martin | 12,300 | 22 | Retired | 1971 | 1982 | |
Soyuz-M | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | 6,600 | 8 | Retired | 1971 | 1976 | |
Soyuz-U | Soviet Union Russia |
TsSKB-Progress | 6,900 | 786 | Retired | 1973 | 2017 | |
Feng Bao 1 | China | Shanghai Bureau No.2 | 2,500 | 8 | Retired | 1973 | 1981 | |
Long March 2A | China | CALT | 2,000 | 4 | Retired | 1974 | 1976 | |
Titan IIIE | United States | Martin Marietta | 15,400 | 3,700 to TMI | 7 | Retired | 1974 | 1977 |
Delta 3920–5920 | United States | Douglas | 3,452–3,848 | 30 | Retired | 1980 | 1990 | |
N-II[6] | Japan | Mitsubishi | 2,000 | 8 | Retired | 1981 | 1987 | |
Soyuz-U2 | Soviet Union | TsSKB-Progress | 7,050 | 72 | Retired | 1982 | 1995 | |
Long March 2C | China | CALT | 3,850 | 1,900 to SSO | 56 | Operational | 1982 | |
Atlas G | United States | Lockheed | 5,900 | 7 | Retired | 1984 | 1989 | |
Long March 3 | China | CALT | 5,000 | 1,340 to GTO | 14 | Retired | 1984 | 2000 |
Zenit-2 | Soviet Union Ukraine |
Yuzhnoye | 13,740 | 36 | Retired | 1985 | 2004 | |
H-I | Japan | Mitsubishi | 3,200 | 1,100 to GTO | 9 | Retired | 1986 | 1992 |
Long March 4A | China | SAST | 4,000 | 2 | Retired | 1988 | 1990 | |
Ariane 4 | European Union France |
Aérospatiale | 7,600 | 4,800 to GTO | 116 | Retired | 1988 | 2003 |
Delta II | United States | United Launch Alliance | 6,100 | 2,170 to GTO 1,000 to HCO |
156 | Retired | 1989 | 2018 |
Atlas I, II, III | United States | Lockheed | 5,900–8,686 | 2,340–4,609 to GTO | 80 | Retired | 1990 | 2005 |
Long March 2E | China | CALT | 9,200 | 7 | Retired | 1990 | 1995 | |
Long March 2D | China | SAST | 3,500 | 1,300 to SSO | 52 | Operational | 1992 | |
PSLV | India | ISRO | 3,800 | 1,200 to GTO 1,750 to SSO |
50 | Operational | 1993 | |
H-II / IIS | Japan | Mitsubishi | 10,060 | 4,000 to GTO | 7 | Retired | 1994 | 1999 |
Long March 3A | China | CALT | 6,000 | 2,600 to GTO 5,000 to SSO |
27 | Operational | 1994 | |
Long March 3B | China | CALT | 11,200 | 5,100 to GTO 5,700 to SSO |
12 | Retired | 1996 | 2012 |
Delta III | United States | Boeing | 8,290 | 3,810 to GTO | 3 | Retired | 1998 | 2000 |
Dnepr | Ukraine | Yuzhmash | 4,500 | 2,300 to GTO 550 to TLI |
22 | Retired | 1999 | 2015 |
Zenit-3 | Ukraine | Yuzhmash | 7,000 | 6,160 to GTO | 46 | Operational | 1999 | |
Long March 2F | China | CALT | 8,400 | 3,500 to GTO | 16 | Operational | 1999 | |
Long March 4B/4C | China | SAST | 4,200 | 1,500 to GTO 2,800 to SSO |
76 | Operational | 1999 | |
H-IIA | Japan | Mitsubishi | 10,000-15,000 | 4,100-6,000 to GTO | 39 | Operational | 2001 | |
Soyuz-FG | Russia | TsSKB-Progress | 6,900 | 70 | Retired | 2001 | 2019 | |
GSLV Mk.I | India | ISRO | 4,000 | 2,150 to GTO | 6 | Retired | 2001 | 2010 |
Atlas V | United States | United Launch Alliance | 18,850 | 8,900 to GTO | 86 | Operational | 2002 | |
Soyuz-2/Soyuz ST | Russia | TsSKB-Progress | 8,200 | 3,250 to GTO 4,400 to SSO |
73 | Operational | 2006[a] | |
Long March 3B/E | China | CALT | 11,500 | 5,500 to GTO 6,900 to SSO |
63 | Operational | 2007 | |
Long March 3C | China | CALT | 9,100 | 3,800 to GTO 6,500 to SSO |
15 | Operational | 2008 | |
H-IIB | Japan | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 19,000 | 8,000 to GTO | 9 | Retired | 2009 | 2020 |
Falcon 9 v1.0 | United States | SpaceX | 10,450 | 4,540 to GTO | 5 | Retired | 2010 | 2013 |
GSLV Mk.II | India | ISRO | 5,000 | 2,700 to GTO | 7 | Operational | 2010 | |
Antares 110–130 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 5,100[7] | 1,500 to SSO | 5 | Retired | 2013 | 2014 |
Falcon 9 v1.1 | United States | SpaceX | 13,150 | 4,850 to GTO | 15 | Retired | 2013 | 2016 |
Soyuz-2.1v | Russia | TsSKB-Progress | 2,800 | 1,400 to SSO | 7 | Operational | 2013 | 2021 |
Falcon 9 Full Thrust
(Falcon 9 Block 3 and 4) |
United States | SpaceX | 15,600+[8] | 7,075+[9] to GTO | 63 | Retired | 2015 | 2018 |
Antares 230 | United States | Northrop Grumman | 7,800[7] | 3,000 to SSO | 3 | Operational | 2016 | |
Long March 7/7A | China | CALT | 13,500 | 5,500 to SSO 7,000 to GTO |
5 | Operational | 2016 | |
GSLV Mk.III | India | ISRO | 10,000 | 4,000 to GTO | 4 | Operational | 2017[b] | |
Falcon 9 Block 5 | United States | SpaceX | 15,600 reusable 22,800 expendable |
5,500 to GTO reusable 8,300 to GTO expendable 4,020 to Mars |
348 | Operational | 2018 | |
Long March 8 | China | CALT | 8,100 | 4,500 to SSO | 1 | Operational | 2020 | |
H3 | Japan | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 4,000 | 4,000-7900 | 0 | Under development | 2022 | |
Angara 1.2 | Russia | Khrunichev | 3,500[10] | 0 | Under development | 2022[b] | ||
Nuri | South Korea | KARI | 2,600 (LEO, 300 km) | 1,500 to SSO (700 km) | 1 | Under development | 2021[c] | |
Vega-C | European Union | ArianeGroup | 2,200 to SSO (700 km)[11] | 0 | Under development | 2022 | ||
Ariane 6 (A62) | European Union | ArianeGroup | 10,350 | 5,000 to GTO | 0 | Under development | 2022 | |
Irtysh | Russia | Progress Rocket Space Centre | 18,000 | 5,000 to GTO | 0 | Under development | 2023 | |
Unified Launch Vehicle | India | Indian Space Research Organization | 4,500-15000 | 1,500-6000 to GTO | 0 | Under development | 2023 | |
Neutron | New Zealand United States |
Rocket Lab | 8,000 | 0 | Under development | 2024 | ||
Terran R | United States | Relativity Space | 20,000 | 0 | Under development | 2024 | ||
Beta | United States | Firefly Aerospace | 8,000 | 5,800 to SSO[12] | 0 | Under development | 2024 |
Gallery
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Launch of an Atlas B intercontinental ballistic missile
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Launch of the first American crewed orbital space flight Atlas and Friendship 7
-
A Falcon 9 v1.0 launches with an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft, 2012
-
Falcon 9 booster tank at the SpaceX factory, 2008
-
Launch of GSLV Mk lll D2 with GSAT-29 from SHAR, India.
See also
- Sounding rocket, suborbital launch vehicle
- List of orbital launch systems
- Small-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting up to 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit
- Heavy lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting between 20,000 and 50,000 kg to low Earth orbit. (Includes Ariane 5)
- Super Heavy lift launch vehicles, capable of lifting more than 50,000 kg (110,000 lb) of payload into LEO
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
- Comparison of orbital rocket engines
- Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
- Rocket
References
- ^ Osipov, Yuri (2004–2017). Great Russian Encyclopedia. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia.
- ^ NASA Space Technology Roadmaps - Launch Propulsion Systems, p.11: "Small: 0-2t payloads, Medium: 2-20t payloads, Heavy: 20-50t payloads, Super Heavy: >50t payloads"
- ^ "Tsiklon-2".
- ^ "Tsiklon-4". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Tsyklon-4M (Cyclone-4M) prepares a move to Canada".
- ^ "N-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Antares (Taurus-2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "SpaceX and Cape Canaveral Return to Action with First Operational Starlink Mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Telstar 19V (Telstar 19 Vantage)". Gunter's Space Page. Gunter. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Angara Launch Vehicle Family". Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Vega C". Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Launch-beta". Retrieved 25 November 2021.
Further reading
- Mallove, Eugene F. and Matloff, Gregory L. The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel, Wiley. ISBN 0-471-61912-4.