Medium-lift launch vehicle


A medium-lift launch vehicle is a rocket launch vehicle that is capable of lifting between by NASA classification or between by Russian classification of payload into low Earth orbit. An MLV is between a small-lift launch vehicle and a heavy-lift launch vehicle. Medium-lift vehicles comprise the majority of orbital launches as of 2024, with both the Soyuz and Falcon 9 having launched several hundred times.

History

Soviet Union and Russia

The Soviet R-7 family was based on the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. Sputnik was a small-lift derivative that carried the first satellite into orbit, and the R-7 design quickly grew in capacity, with Luna launching in 1958. The 1960s saw the R-7 series continue to develop, with Vostok 1 carrying the first human into space, Voskhod carrying multiple crew members, and the first Soyuz., Soyuz variants are still operational and have launched over 1,100 times. The R-7 family has launched more times than any other family of orbital rockets.

United States

The first US medium-lift vehicle was a purpose-built orbital launch vehicle, the Saturn I. Saturn I first launched in 1961, and the Saturn family would eventually grow into the heavy-lift Saturn IB and the super-heavy lift Saturn V.
ICBM-derived launch vehicles for the US include the Atlas, Titan, and Delta families.
Atlas-Centaur launched in 1962 and marked the first use of a Centaur upper stage., the derivative Atlas V is still operational; Centaur has seen extensive use on multiple vehicles and is operational on the Atlas V and Vulcan vehicles.
II GLV carried the Gemini spacecraft. The family was further developed into Titan III which utilized solid rocket boosters, and in 1989, the heavy-lift Titan IV.
Medium-lift versions of the Delta family include Delta II which utilized up to nine SRBs, and the Delta IV which could use optional SRBs or three first-stage cores as a heavy variant.
SpaceX introduced the Falcon 9 in 2010, designed to be a partially reusable launch vehicle. Falcon 9 underwent iterative upgrades and completed the first propulsive landing of an orbital rocket stage in 2015. SpaceX then began regularly reusing first stages. In 2022, Falcon 9 broke the record of 47 launches in one year held by Soyuz-U. Falcon 9 launched 91 times in 2023 and 132 times in 2024.

Other

China's Long March family and the European Ariane family were introduced in the 1970s. Japan launched the H-I in 1986 before developing the H-II and H3. India introduced the PSLV in 1993 and LVM3 in 2014. South Korea's Nuri reached orbit in 2022.

Rated launch vehicles

Operational

VehicleOriginManufacturerMass to LEO Mass to other orbits LaunchesFirst Flight
Falcon 9 Block 5SpaceX
22,800 		to GTO
8,300 to GTO
4,020 to Mars		2018
Soyuz-2Progress82003250 to GTO
4,400 to SSO		1752006
Long March 4B/4CSAST42001500 to GTO
2,800 to SSO		1011999
Atlas VULA188508900 to GTO992002
Long March 2DSAST35001300 to SSO891992
Zenit-3Yuzhmash70006160 to GTO841999
Long March 3B/ECALT115005500 to GTO
6,900 to SSO		822007
Long March 2CCALT38501900 to SSO771982
PSLVISRO38001200 to GTO
1750 to SSO		601993
Long March 3ACALT60002600 to GTO
5,000 to SSO		271994
Long March 2FCALT84003500 to GTO231999
Long March 3CCALT91003800 to GTO
6,500 to SSO		182008
GSLVISRO50002700 to GTO162010
Long March 7/7ACALT135005500 to SSO
7000 to GTO		142016
LVM3ISRO100004000 to GTO72017
NuriKARI33001900 to SSO 32022
Zhuque-2LandSpace60004000 to SSO 32022
Long March 8CALT81004500 to SSO32020
Angara 1.2Khrunichev350022022
Vega C
Avio2300 to SSO52022
H3Mitsubishi7900 to GTO
4000 to SSO		22023
Vulcan CentaurULA10800
19000 		3500 to GTO
to GTO 		22024
Gravity-1Orienspace65004000 to SSO12024
Long March 6CCALT45002400 to SSO12024
Ariane 6
Ariane Group103505000 to GTO32024
Long March 12CALT100006000 to SSO12024

Under development

VehicleOriginManufacturerMass to LEO Mass to other orbits Expected Flight
Pallas-1Galactic Energy50003000 to SSO2024
Tianlong-3Space Pioneer1700014000 to SSO2025
Neutron
Rocket Lab130002025
MLVFirefly140002025
Zhuque-3LandSpace11000-20,0002025
IrtyshProgress180005000 to GTO2025
Hyperbola-3i-Space13400
8500 		2025
NovaStoke Space7,000
3,000 		2,500 to GTO
1,250 to TLI		2025
Unified Launch VehicleISRO4500-15,0001500-6,000 to GTO2026
Long March 10ACALT140002026
Pallas-2Galactic Energy140002026
Antares 330Northrop Grumman
Firefly		108002025
KSLV-IIIHanwha Aerospace100007,000 to SSO2030
Miura 5SpainPLD Space1100600 SSO2025

Retired

VehicleOriginManufacturerMass to LEO Mass to other orbits LaunchesFirst FlightLast Flight
VostokRSC Energia473016319581991
Saturn IChrysler & Douglas90001019611965
Atlas-CentaurLockheed51006119621983
Titan II GLVMartin35801219641966
Titan IIICMartin131003000 to GTO
1,200 to TMI		3619651982
Molniya-M
Progress240028019652010
Proton-K
Khrunichev1976031119652012
Soyuz originalOKB-164503219661975
R-36 Tsyklon
Yuzhmash–5,250500–910 to GTO23619672009
Soyuz-LOKB-15500319701971
Titan IIIDMartin123002219711982
Soyuz-MOKB-16600819711976
Soyuz-U
Progress690078619732017
Feng Bao 1SAST2500819731981
Long March 2ACALT2000419741976
Titan IIIEMartin Marietta154003700 to TMI719741977
Delta 3920–5920McDonnell Douglas3452–3,8483019801990
N-IIMitsubishi2000819811987
Soyuz-U2Progress70507219821995
Atlas GLockheed5900719841989
Long March 3CALT50001340 to GTO1419842000
Zenit-2
Yuzhnoye137403619852004
H-IMitsubishi32001100 to GTO919861992
Long March 4ASAST4000219881990
Ariane 4
Aérospatiale76004800 to GTO11619882003
Delta IIULA61002170 to GTO
1,000 to HCO		15619892018
Atlas I, II, IIILockheed5900–8,6862340–4,609 to GTO8019902005
Long March 2ECALT9200719901995
H-II / IISMitsubishi100604000 to GTO719941999
Ariane 5
Ariane Group160006950 to GTO11719962023
Long March 3BCALT112005100 to GTO
5,700 to SSO		1219962012
Delta IIIBoeing82903810 to GTO319982000
DneprYuzhmash45002300 to GTO
550 to TLI		2219992015
Soyuz-FGProgress69007020012019
Soyuz-2.1vProgress28001400 to SSO1320132025
H-IIAMitsubishi to GTO5020012025
GSLV Mk.IISRO to GTO620012010
H-IIBMitsubishi190008000 to GTO920092020
Falcon 9 v1.0SpaceX104504540 to GTO520102013
Antares 110/120/130Orbital51001500 to SSO520132014
Falcon 9 v1.1SpaceX131504850 to GTO1520132016
Falcon 9 Full Thrust Blocks 3 and 4SpaceX15600+7075+ to GTO3620152018
Antares 230/230+Northrop Grumman80003000 to SSO1320162023