The first heavy-lift launch vehicles in the 1960s included the USSaturn IB and the SovietProton. Saturn IB was designed to carry theApollo spacecraft into orbit and had increased engine thrust and a redesigned second stage fromits predecessor. Proton was originally designed to be a largeintercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).[4] Russia still operates variants of the Proton as of 2024[update], although it is expected to be phased out in favor of theAngara A5.
NASA introduced theSpace Shuttle as the first partiallyreusable launch vehicle in 1981. The Space Shuttle carried up to eight crew members in addition to deploying heavy payloads to LEO, including space station modules andDepartment of Defense payloads. Higher-energy orbits for payloads were reached through the use of akick stage such as theInertial Upper Stage.
TheUnited States Air Force (USAF) operated theTitan IV to supplement Space Shuttle launches. This was derived from theTitan family of ICBMs and launch vehicles, with upgrades including solid rocket boosters (SRBs), vehicle lengthening, and an optional third stage.[5] The USAF began theEvolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program in 1994 to ensure access to space through contracted launch providers. This led to the development of theDelta IV, with theheavy variant using threefirst stage cores.United Launch Alliance (ULA) introducedVulcan Centaur in 2024 as the successor to its Delta IV andAtlas V rockets, with Vulcan featuring a single, wider core and optional SRBs.
China'sLong March 5 was introduced in 2016 as the most powerful version of theLong March family. It is notable as a Chinese launch vehicle using non-hypergolic liquid propellants.[6]
The EuropeanAriane 5 first flew in 1996 and launched many commercial payloads to GTO. It benefited in this role by launching fromGuiana Space Center, a spaceport near the equator in French territory. Ariane 5 often carried multiple payloads per launch and setrecords for mass to GTO delivered for commercial payloads.
Falcon 9 was introduced bySpaceX in 2010, designed as amedium-lift launch vehicle with a reusable first stage.[a] Falcon 9 grew more capable through iterative design, with upgrades including improvedMerlin engines and the lengthening of both stages. Since the introduction ofFalcon 9 Full Thrust in 2015, the vehicle meets the capacity requirements of a heavy-lift vehicle when the first stage is expended. In 2021, Falcon 9 carried a record of 143 satellites into orbit on a single launch.[7]Falcon Heavy uses three first stage boosters similarly to Delta IV Heavy, but requires a strengthened center core. Falcon Heavy made its first flight in 2017 and was most capable operational launch vehicle until NASA'sSLS launched in 2022.[8] Falcon Heavy is categorized as a heavy-lift launch vehicle when flown in configuration to recover the center core and both side boosters. When expending the center core or all boosters, its payload to LEO exceeds 50,000 kg, qualifying Falcon Heavy as asuper heavy-lift launch vehicle.
^18 expendable launches forFull Thrust andBlock 5 versions, meeting the capacity requirement of a heavy-lift vehicle
^The firstFalcon 9 v1.0 launched in 2010; however, versions prior to Falcon 9 Full Thrust were not capable of lifting payloads over 20,000kg
^When all cores are recovered. When the center core is expended, Falcon Heavy is classified as asuper heavy-lift launch vehicle with a theoretical payload to LEO over 50,000 kg
^Osipov, Yuri (2004–2017).Great Russian Encyclopedia. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia.Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved9 June 2021.
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