Clockwise from top-left: Falcon 9, Soyuz-2, PSLV, Nuri, H-IIA, Long March 2D
Class overview
NameMedium-lift launch vehicle
OperatorsVarious space organizations
Preceded bySmall-lift launch vehicle
Succeeded byHeavy-lift launch vehicle
Built1958–
Building8
Active25
Retired41
General characteristics
PropulsionVarious liquid-fueled engines and solid motors
Capacity
  • 2–20 metric tons (NASA)
  • 5–20 metric tons (Russia)

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 classification[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

Operational

Vehicle Origin Manufacturer Mass to
LEO (kg)		 Mass to
other orbits (kg)		 Launches First Flight
Falcon 9 Block 5  United States SpaceX 18,400 reusable
22,800 expendable		 5,500 to GTO reusable
8,300 to GTO expendable
4,020 to Mars		 231 2018
Soyuz-2/Soyuz ST  Russia TsSKB-Progress 8,200 3,250 to GTO
4,400 to SSO		 170 2006[lower-alpha 1]
Long March 4B/4C  China SAST 4,200 1,500 to GTO
2,800 to SSO		 101 1999
Atlas V  United States United Launch Alliance 18,850 8,900 to GTO 99 2002
Long March 2D  China SAST 3,500 1,300 to SSO 85 1992
Zenit-3  Ukraine Yuzhmash 7,000 6,160 to GTO 84 1999
Long March 3B/E  China CALT 11,500 5,500 to GTO
6,900 to SSO		 81 2007
Long March 2C  China CALT 3,850 1,900 to SSO 75 1982
PSLV  India ISRO 3,800 1,200 to GTO
1,750 to SSO		 60 1993
H-IIA  Japan Mitsubishi 15,000 6,000 to GTO 48 2001
Long March 3A  China CALT 6,000 2,600 to GTO
5,000 to SSO		 27 1994
Long March 2F  China CALT 8,400 3,500 to GTO 22 1999
Long March 3C  China CALT 9,100 3,800 to GTO
6,500 to SSO		 18 2008
GSLV  India ISRO 5,000 2,700 to GTO 15 2010
Long March 7/7A  China CALT 13,500 5,500 to SSO
7,000 to GTO		 13 2016
Soyuz-2.1v  Russia TsSKB-Progress 2,800 1,400 to SSO 9 2013
LVM 3  India ISRO 10,000 4,000 to GTO 7 2017[lower-alpha 2]
Long March 6A  China CALT 4,500 to SSO 4 2022
Nuri  South Korea KARI 3,300 1,900 to SSO (700 km) 3 2022[lower-alpha 3]
Zhuque-2  China LandSpace 6,000 4,000 to SSO (500 km) 3 2022
Long March 8  China CALT 8,100 4,500 to SSO 2 2020
Angara 1.2  Russia Khrunichev 3,500[3] 2 2022[lower-alpha 2]
Vega-C  European Union Avio 2,200 to SSO (700 km)[4] 1 2022
H3  Japan Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7,900 to GTO
4,000 to SSO		 1 2023
Gravity-1  China Orienspace 6,500 4,000 to SSO 1 2024

Under development

Vehicle Origin Manufacturer Mass to
LEO (kg)		 Mass to
other orbits (kg)		 Expected Flight
Ariane 6 (A62) European Union  France Arianespace 10,350 5,000 to GTO 2024
Irtysh  Russia Progress Rocket Space Centre 18,000 5,000 to GTO 2025
Long March 10A  China CALT 14,000 >2026
Unified Launch Vehicle  India Indian Space Research Organization 4,500-15,000 1,500-6,000 to GTO 2026
Neutron  New Zealand
 United States		 Rocket Lab 13,000 2024
MLV  United States Firefly Aerospace 14,000[5] 2025
Pallas-1  China Galactic Energy 5,000 3,000 to SSO 2024
Zhuque-3  China LandSpace 11,000-20,000 2025

Retired

Vehicle Origin Manufacturer Mass to
LEO (kg)		 Mass to
other orbits (kg)		 Launches First Flight Last Flight
Vostok  Soviet Union RSC Energia 4,730 163 1958 1991
Saturn I  United States Chrysler & Douglas 9,000 10 1961 1965

long

Atlas-Centaur  United States Lockheed 5,100 61 1962 1983
Titan II GLV  United States Martin 3,580 12 1964 1966
Titan IIIC  United States Martin 13,100 3,000 to GTO
1,200 to TMI		 36 1965 1982
Molniya-M  Soviet Union
 Russia		 TsSKB-Progress 2,400 280 1965 2010
Proton-K  Soviet Union
 Russia		 Khrunichev 19,760 311 1965 2012
Soyuz original  Soviet Union OKB-1 6,450 32 1966 1975
R-36 Tsyklon  Soviet Union
 Ukraine		 Yuzhmash 2,820-5,250 (depends on variant)[6][7] 500-910 to GTO[8] 236 1967 2009
Soyuz-L  Soviet Union OKB-1 5,500 3 1970 1971
Titan IIID  United States Martin 12,300 22 1971 1982
Soyuz-M  Soviet Union OKB-1 6,600 8 1971 1976
Soyuz-U  Soviet Union
 Russia		 TsSKB-Progress 6,900 786 1973 2017
Feng Bao 1  China Shanghai Bureau No.2 2,500 8 1973 1981
Long March 2A  China CALT 2,000 4 1974 1976
Titan IIIE  United States Martin Marietta 15,400 3,700 to TMI 7 1974 1977
Delta 3920–5920  United States Douglas 3,452–3,848 30 1980 1990
N-II[9]  Japan Mitsubishi 2,000 8 1981 1987
Soyuz-U2  Soviet Union TsSKB-Progress 7,050 72 1982 1995
Atlas G  United States Lockheed 5,900 7 1984 1989
Long March 3  China CALT 5,000 1,340 to GTO 14 1984 2000
Zenit-2  Soviet Union
 Ukraine		 Yuzhnoye 13,740 36 1985 2004
H-I  Japan Mitsubishi 3,200 1,100 to GTO 9 1986 1992
Long March 4A  China SAST 4,000 2 1988 1990
Ariane 4 European Union  France Aérospatiale 7,600 4,800 to GTO 116 1988 2003
Delta II  United States United Launch Alliance 6,100 2,170 to GTO
1,000 to HCO		 156 1989 2018
Atlas I, II, III  United States Lockheed 5,900–8,686 2,340–4,609 to GTO 80 1990 2005
Long March 2E  China CALT 9,200 7 1990 1995
H-II / IIS  Japan Mitsubishi 10,060 4,000 to GTO 7 1994 1999
Ariane 5 European Union  France Arianespace 16,000 6,950 to GTO 117 1996 2023
Long March 3B  China CALT 11,200 5,100 to GTO
5,700 to SSO		 12 1996 2012
Delta III  United States Boeing 8,290 3,810 to GTO 3 1998 2000
Dnepr  Ukraine Yuzhmash 4,500 2,300 to GTO
550 to TLI		 22 1999 2015
Soyuz-FG  Russia TsSKB-Progress 6,900 70 2001 2019
GSLV Mk.I  India ISRO 4,000 2,150 to GTO 6 2001 2010
H-IIB  Japan Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 19,000 8,000 to GTO 9 2009 2020
Falcon 9 v1.0  United States SpaceX 10,450 4,540 to GTO 5 2010 2013
Antares 110–130  United States Orbital Sciences 5,100[10] 1,500 to SSO 5 2013 2014
Falcon 9 v1.1  United States SpaceX 13,150 4,850 to GTO 15 2013 2016
Falcon 9 Full Thrust

(before Block 5)

  United States SpaceX 15,600+[11] 7,075+[12] to GTO 63 2015 2018
Antares 230  United States Northrop Grumman 8,000[10] 3,000 to SSO 13 2016 2023
  1. ↑ A suborbital test flight was conducted in 2004, without the upper stage.
  2. 1 2 A suborbital test flight was conducted in 2014, without the upper stage.
  3. ↑ A flight in 2021 failed to reach orbit.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Osipov, Yuri (2004–2017). Great Russian Encyclopedia. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia.
  2. ↑ 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"
  3. ↑ "Angara Launch Vehicle Family". Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Vega C". Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Medium Launch Vehicle". Firefly Aerospace. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Tsiklon-2". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Tsiklon-4". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Tsyklon-4M (Cyclone-4M) prepares a move to Canada".
  9. ↑ "N-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  10. 1 2 Krebs, Gunter. "Antares (Taurus-2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "SpaceX and Cape Canaveral Return to Action with First Operational Starlink Mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Telstar 19V (Telstar 19 Vantage)". Gunter's Space Page. Gunter. Retrieved 7 August 2018.

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.
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