ROOT / ROCKETS // LAUNCH VEHICLES
// Rockets · decoded · publication-grade pass
Launch Vehicles, decoded.
Every active orbital rocket, cross-checked on payload, thrust, reuse and current flight status.
CURATED INDEX◊ VERIFIED · multi-source
// the signal · what the data says
SpaceX's Falcon 9 flies more than the rest of the world combined and collapsed $/kg with routine booster reuse. Starship V3 — first flown 24 May 2026 from Starbase, targeting 100+ t to LEO on 33 Raptor 3 engines (~280 tf each, ~100 MN liftoff) — aims to collapse it another order of magnitude, but as of mid-2026 has not reached orbit or demonstrated full reuse (early flights lost engines and a boostback burn). Blue Origin's New Glenn (45 t LEO) reused a first stage for the first time in April 2026 but put its payload in the wrong orbit; Rocket Lab's Neutron (13 t) targets a mid-2026 debut. China's Long March family and Europe's Ariane 6 provide expendable state capacity.
// comparison · every entry, benchmarked & sourced
| Name | Maker | LEO (t) | GTO (t) | Cost/kg ($) | Reuse | Thrust (MN) | Height (m) |
|---|
| Starship V3 | SpaceX | 100 | 21 | 150 | Full (goal) | 100 | 124 |
| ◊ First flew 24 May 2026; 33x Raptor 3 (~280 tf); not yet orbital or fully reused |
| Falcon Heavy | SpaceX | 63.8 | 26.7 | 1500 | Boosters | 23 | 70 |
| ◊ Heavy-lift workhorse; side-booster recovery |
| SLS Block 1 | NASA | 95 | 27 | 0 | None | 39 | 98 |
| ◊ Artemis crewed Moon rocket; fully expendable, very costly |
| New Glenn | Blue Origin | 45 | 13 | 1500 | 1st stage | 17 | 98 |
| ◊ 7x BE-4; first booster reuse Apr 2026 |
| Vulcan Centaur | ULA | 27 | 15 | 3000 | None* | 10 | 62 |
| ◊ NatSec launch; SMART engine reuse planned |
| Long March 5B | CASC | 25 | 14 | 3500 | None | 10 | 54 |
| ◊ China heavy-lift, station modules |
| Falcon 9 Block 5 | SpaceX | 22.8 | 8.2 | 2600 | 1st stage | 7.6 | 70 |
| ◊ Most-flown, most-reused rocket in history |
| Ariane 6 | ESA | 21.6 | 11.5 | 4000 | None | 15 | 63 |
| ◊ Europe's expendable heavy (A64) |
| Neutron | Rocket Lab | 13 | 1.5 | 2000 | 1st stage | 5.9 | 43 |
| ◊ Debut targeted mid-2026; 15 t expendable |
// leaderboard · LEO (t)
01Starship V3100
02SLS Block 195
03Falcon Heavy63.8
04New Glenn45
05Vulcan Centaur27
06Long March 5B25
07Falcon 9 Block 522.8
08Ariane 621.6
09Neutron13
// sources & where to verify
// full index, per-field sourcing & CSV export [ AUTHENTICATE → ]
◊ Publication-grade pass, mid-2026. Specs cross-checked against the multiple sources listed. Green = best value in column. Footnotes: LEO payload is reusable-mode where applicable; Starship V3 figures are program targets — full reuse and orbit not yet demonstrated as of mid-2026.