Launch Vehicles

Every rocket family that has carried a Beyond LEO mission beyond Earth orbit — from the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity to the most launched rocket in history.

16 Active Families
14 Retired Families
30 Total Families

Active Launch Families

Ariane 6

Active

ArianeGroup (prime contractor); ESA (program authority); CNES (launch base operations)

First Launch July 9, 2024 (A62 inaugural); February 12, 2026 (A64 inaugural)
Payload to LEO 10,300 kg (A62); 21,650 kg (A64)
Total Launches 9 as of August 27, 2026 (6 A62 + 3 A64)
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Electron

Active

Rocket Lab (New Zealand / United States)

First Launch May 25, 2017
Payload to LEO 300 kg
Total Launches 97 as of October 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Falcon 9

Active

SpaceX

First Launch June 4, 2010 (v1.0); May 11, 2018 (Block 5, current variant)
Payload to LEO 22,800 kg (expendable); ~17,400 kg (reusable)
Total Launches 700+ across all variants as of October 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 11
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Falcon Heavy

Active

SpaceX

First Launch February 6, 2018
Payload to LEO 63,800 kg (expendable); ~50,000 kg (reusable)
Total Launches 12 as of April 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 6
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H3

Active

JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)

First Launch March 7, 2023 (TF2 — first successful flight; TF1 failed March 2023)
Payload to LEO 16,500 kg
Total Launches 10 as of October 2026 (7 successes, 2 failures, 1 partial)
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Long March 2C

Active

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)

First Launch September 9, 1982
Payload to LEO 3,850 kg
Total Launches 87 as of March 27, 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Long March 3B

Active

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)

First Launch February 14, 1996
Payload to LEO 11,500 kg
Total Launches 115+ across all Long March 3B variants as of October 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Long March 5

Active

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)

First Launch November 3, 2016
Payload to LEO 25,000 kg (CZ-5); 22,000 kg (CZ-5B)
Total Launches 18 as of June 2026 (CZ-5 and CZ-5B combined)
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Long March 8

Active

CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation)

First Launch December 22, 2020
Payload to LEO ~8,000 kg (with boosters)
Total Launches —
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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LVM-3

Active

ISRO

First Launch December 18, 2014
Payload to LEO 10,000 kg
Total Launches 10 as of October 2026 (9 successes, 0 failures, 1 suborbital demo)
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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New Glenn

Grounded

Blue Origin

First Launch January 16, 2025
Payload to LEO 45,000 kg (7×2)
Total Launches 3
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)

Active

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)

First Launch September 20, 1993
Payload to LEO ~3,800 kg (PSLV-XL variant)
Total Launches —
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Soyuz

Active (Soyuz-2 variants)

TsSKB-Progress, Samara, Russia

First Launch November 28, 1966 (Soyuz 11A511)
Payload to LEO 6,450–8,200 kg depending on variant
Total Launches 1,100+ across all Soyuz variants
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Space Launch System

Active

NASA / Boeing (core stage) / Northrop Grumman (boosters) / Aerojet Rocketdyne (engines)

First Launch November 16, 2022 (Artemis I)
Payload to LEO 95,000 kg (Block 1)
Total Launches 2 (as of mid-2026)
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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Starship

Active

SpaceX

First Launch April 20, 2023
Payload to LEO ~100 t (Block 3); SpaceX’s target is 100–150 t reusable
Total Launches 14 as of September 28, 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Vulcan

Active

United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture

First Launch January 8, 2024
Payload to LEO Up to ~27 t (with 6 boosters)
Total Launches 4 as of February 2026
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Retired Launch Families

Ariane 5

Retired (final launch July 5, 2023)

Arianespace / ArianeGroup (ESA)

First Launch June 4, 1996
Payload to LEO Up to 21,000 kg
Total Launches 117
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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Atlas Agena

Retired - last flight June 27, 1978

Convair (Atlas booster); Lockheed Corporation (Agena upper stage)

First Launch February 26, 1960
Payload to LEO 1,000–1,600 kg depending on variant
Total Launches 109 (1960–1978)
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Atlas Centaur

Retired — succeeded by Atlas I (1990)

Convair (Atlas); Pratt & Whitney / NASA Lewis Research Center (Centaur upper stage)

First Launch May 8, 1962 (first Atlas-Centaur test flight)
Payload to LEO ~3,630 kg
Total Launches 197 (across all Atlas Centaur variants 1962–1989)
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Atlas II

Retired last flight August 31, 2004

General Dynamics (developed); Lockheed Martin (produced and operated from 1994)

First Launch December 7, 1991 (Atlas II); June 10, 1992 (Atlas IIA); December 16, 1993 (Atlas IIAS)
Payload to LEO 6,580 kg (II); 7,280 kg (IIA); 8,610 kg (IIAS)
Total Launches 63 (1991–2004) — all three variants combined
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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Atlas V

Retired (final launch 2024)

United Launch Alliance (ULA)

First Launch August 21, 2002
Payload to LEO 8,900–18,850 kg (variant dependent)
Total Launches 100
Beyond LEO Missions 11
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Delta II

Retired - last flight September 15, 2018

McDonnell Douglas (original); Boeing (from 1997 merger); United Launch Alliance (from 2006)

First Launch February 14, 1989
Payload to LEO 2,700–6,100 kg depending on variant
Total Launches 155 (1989–2018)
Beyond LEO Missions 4
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Delta IV Heavy

Retired (final launch April 9, 2024)

United Launch Alliance (ULA)

First Launch December 21, 2004
Payload to LEO 28,370 kg
Total Launches 16
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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H-IIA

Retired — succeeded by H3

JAXA (development); Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (production and operation from 2007)

First Launch August 29, 2001
Payload to LEO 10,000–15,000 kg depending on variant
Total Launches 50 (2001–2025)
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Proton-M

Retired - last flight February 12, 2026

Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center

First Launch April 7, 2001
Payload to LEO 22,000–23,000 kg
Total Launches 116 (2001–2026)
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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R-7

Retired

OKB-1 (Sergei Korolev)

First Launch May 15, 1957 (ICBM test); October 4, 1957 (Sputnik 1, first orbital launch)
Payload to LEO 1,300–4,550 kg depending on variant
Total Launches ~160 across R-7 and Vostok variants (excluding Soyuz family)
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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Saturn V

Retired

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; built by Boeing (first stage), North American Aviation (second stage), Douglas Aircraft (third stage) and IBM (guidance)

First Launch November 9, 1967 (Apollo 4, uncrewed)
Payload to LEO ~140,000 kg
Total Launches 13
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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Space Shuttle

Retired - last flight July 8, 2011 (STS-135, Atlantis)

NASA; Rockwell International (orbiter); Thiokol (SRBs); Martin Marietta (external tank)

First Launch April 12, 1981 (STS-1, Columbia)
Payload to LEO 24,400 kg (to 204 km); 27,500 kg (maximum)
Total Launches 135 (1981–2011)
Beyond LEO Missions 2
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Titan IIIE-Centaur

Retired (1977)

Martin Marietta / NASA

First Launch February 11, 1974
Payload to LEO ~15,400 kg
Total Launches 7
Beyond LEO Missions 3
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Titan IVB-Centaur

Retired (2005)

Lockheed Martin / NASA

First Launch February 23, 1999 (IVB variant)
Payload to LEO ~21,680 k
Total Launches 17 (Titan IV total, various configurations)
Beyond LEO Missions 1
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