Ranked by peak liftoff thrust at sea level, SpaceX's Super Heavy booster (about 74,400 kN with 33 Raptor 2 engines) now sits at the top, followed by Saturn V (34,500 kN), the Soviet N1 (45,400 kN nominal but never reached orbit), Energia (35,100 kN), and SLS Block 1 (39,100 kN at liftoff including SRBs). Things get blurry because the most powerful rocket on paper is not the most useful rocket in flight — N1 failed all four of its launches, and Long March 9 has not flown yet. Below is the verifiable top 10 as of May 2026, ranked by peak sea-level thrust at liftoff, with payload-to-LEO as the secondary tiebreaker.
Comparison Summary Table
| Rank | Rocket | Operator | Peak Liftoff Thrust (sea level) | Payload to LEO | First Flight | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Super Heavy / Starship | SpaceX | ~74,400 kN | ~100–150 t (target) | 2023 | Test campaign |
| 2 | N1 | OKB-1 (USSR) | ~45,400 kN | ~95 t (target) | 1969 | Retired (4/4 failures) |
| 3 | SLS Block 1 | NASA | ~39,100 kN | ~95 t | 2022 | Operational |
| 4 | Energia | NPO Energia (USSR) | ~35,100 kN | ~100 t | 1987 | Retired (2 flights) |
| 5 | Saturn V | NASA | ~34,500 kN | ~140 t | 1967 | Retired (13/13 success) |
| 6 | Long March 9 (CZ-9) | CASC (China) | ~61,000 kN (planned, fully reusable variant) | ~150 t (planned) | Not yet flown | In development |
| 7 | Falcon Heavy | SpaceX | ~22,800 kN | ~63.8 t (expendable) | 2018 | Operational |
| 8 | New Glenn | Blue Origin | ~17,100 kN | ~45 t | 2025 | Operational |
| 9 | Long March 5B | CASC | ~10,600 kN | ~25 t | 2020 | Operational |
| 10 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | SpaceX | ~7,600 kN | ~22.8 t (expendable) | 2018 (Block 5) | Operational |
Thrust figures are total liftoff thrust at sea level. NASA, ESA, and operator press kits are the primary sources. Where a rocket is in development (Long March 9), figures reflect publicly disclosed targets, not flight-verified numbers.
1. SpaceX Super Heavy / Starship
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~74,400 kN. Engines: 33 Raptor 2.
Super Heavy is the first stage of SpaceX's fully reusable Starship system. With 33 Raptor 2 engines each producing roughly 2,256 kN at sea level, total liftoff thrust is approximately 74,400 kN — more than twice the Saturn V. As of mid-2026 the vehicle has completed multiple integrated test flights from Starbase, Texas, including booster catches by the launch tower's chopstick arms and Starship reentry tests.
The system has not yet completed a fully operational orbital mission with payload deployment as of this writing, but its liftoff thrust is verified from flight data. SpaceX's public Starship page lists the figures, and the FAA's launch licensing documents confirm engine count and propellant load.
The eventual fully reusable target payload to LEO is 100–150 tonnes with refueling — comparable to or exceeding Saturn V on a per-launch basis. (SpaceX Starship)
2. N1 (Soviet)
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~45,400 kN. Engines: 30 NK-15 (first stage).
The Soviet N1 was designed by Sergei Korolev's bureau as the USSR's answer to Saturn V — a moon rocket. Its first stage carried 30 NK-15 engines arranged in two concentric rings, producing roughly 45,400 kN of thrust at liftoff. On paper it was more powerful than Saturn V.
In practice, all four N1 launches between 1969 and 1972 failed, none reaching orbit. The second flight in July 1969 produced one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history when the rocket fell back onto its launch pad. The program was cancelled in 1974 and remaining hardware was destroyed. We rank it on raw thrust, but with the caveat that the rocket never delivered a payload to space.
NASA's history office and the Roscosmos archives are the standard sources for N1 specifications. (NASA NSSDCA)
3. NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~39,100 kN. Engines: 4 RS-25 + 2 five-segment Solid Rocket Boosters.
SLS Block 1 is NASA's super-heavy lift vehicle for the Artemis program. Its core stage carries four shuttle-heritage RS-25 engines (about 1,860 kN each at sea level), and two five-segment solid rocket boosters provide approximately 16,000 kN each — roughly 32,000 kN combined from the SRBs alone. Total liftoff thrust is around 39,100 kN.
SLS first flew on Artemis I in November 2022 (uncrewed) and again on Artemis II in April 2026 carrying four astronauts on a crewed lunar flyby. Both missions were successful. Block 1 lifts approximately 95 tonnes to LEO. The upgraded Block 1B with the Exploration Upper Stage will fly on Artemis IV in early 2028.
NASA's SLS fact sheet is the canonical reference for thrust and payload numbers. (NASA SLS)
4. Energia (Soviet)
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~35,100 kN. Engines: 4 RD-170 (strap-on boosters) + 4 RD-0120 (core).
Energia was the USSR's heavy-lift counterpart to the Space Shuttle stack. Four strap-on boosters powered by RD-170 engines (the most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engines ever flown, at about 7,257 kN each at sea level) plus a core stage with four RD-0120 hydrogen engines produced approximately 35,100 kN at liftoff.
Energia flew only twice — in May 1987 carrying the Polyus weapons platform (which failed to reach orbit due to a payload control error, not a launcher failure) and in November 1988 launching the Buran shuttle on its single uncrewed orbital test flight. The program ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The RD-170 engine remains an engineering benchmark. Its derivatives — the RD-180 (used on Atlas V) and RD-191 (used on Angara) — are still in operational service. (NASA NSSDCA Energia profile)
5. Saturn V
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~34,500 kN. Engines: 5 F-1.
The Saturn V remains the most powerful rocket that ever successfully placed a crewed payload beyond low Earth orbit. Its first stage (S-IC) carried five F-1 engines, each producing roughly 6,770 kN of thrust at sea level — making the F-1 the most powerful single-chamber liquid-fuel rocket engine ever flown. Total liftoff thrust was approximately 34,500 kN.
Thirteen Saturn V vehicles flew between 1967 and 1973 with a perfect success record. Apollo 8 (1968) carried humans to lunar orbit; Apollo 11 (July 1969) delivered the first crewed lunar landing; the final Saturn V launch (Skylab 1, May 1973) lifted the 77-tonne Skylab space station to LEO. Saturn V's verified payload to LEO was approximately 140 tonnes, which exceeds even the SLS Block 1 figure on a per-flight basis.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center maintains the canonical Saturn V documentation. (NASA Saturn V)
6. Long March 9 (CZ-9)
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~61,000 kN (planned, fully reusable variant). Engines: 30 YF-215 (planned).
China's Long March 9 has been redesigned multiple times since first proposed. The current 2024–2026 architecture is a fully reusable two-stage super-heavy lifter superficially similar to Starship: a stainless-steel first stage with approximately 30 methane-fueled YF-215 engines, targeting roughly 150 tonnes to LEO. Disclosed liftoff thrust targets are around 61,000 kN.
The rocket has not yet flown. CASC has stated a first flight target around 2030, with engine ground testing ongoing. Because it has not flown, every figure here is a planned target, not flight-verified. We include it for completeness but rank it below flight-verified vehicles.
CASC publications and CNSA briefings are the primary sources, supplemented by Chinese state media announcements. (CASC)
7. SpaceX Falcon Heavy
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~22,800 kN. Engines: 27 Merlin 1D (across three Falcon 9 cores).
Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9 first stages strapped together. Twenty-seven Merlin 1D engines (about 845 kN each at sea level) produce roughly 22,800 kN of thrust at liftoff. First flight was February 2018, lofting a Tesla Roadster on a heliocentric trajectory.
Falcon Heavy lifts approximately 63.8 tonnes to LEO in expendable mode (where all three boosters are not recovered) and considerably less when the side boosters are recovered. The vehicle has flown national security payloads, lunar probes (Psyche in 2023), and commercial communications satellites.
It remains the most powerful operational rocket whose payload performance is fully flight-verified, until Starship's first commercial deployments are completed. (SpaceX Falcon Heavy)
8. Blue Origin New Glenn
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~17,100 kN. Engines: 7 BE-4.
New Glenn is Blue Origin's heavy-lift orbital launcher. Seven BE-4 engines burning liquefied natural gas (methane) and liquid oxygen produce roughly 2,440 kN each, for a total liftoff thrust of approximately 17,100 kN. The first flight occurred in January 2025 from Cape Canaveral LC-36, successfully reaching orbit.
The vehicle is designed for first-stage reuse via downrange ocean landing on a recovery vessel, with a target of 25 reuses per booster. Payload to LEO is approximately 45 tonnes. The BE-4 also powers United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, making it one of the most consequential American engines of the decade.
Blue Origin's New Glenn page is the public reference for payload and engine details. (Blue Origin)
9. Long March 5B
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~10,600 kN. Engines: 2 YF-77 (core) + 8 YF-100 (across four boosters).
Long March 5B is China's heaviest operational launcher and the workhorse for Tiangong space station modules. Two YF-77 hydrogen engines on the core stage plus eight kerosene-fueled YF-100 engines across four side boosters produce approximately 10,600 kN at liftoff. Payload to LEO is roughly 25 tonnes.
CZ-5B notably launched the Tianhe core module (2021), Wentian (2022), and Mengtian (2022) modules of the Tiangong station, as well as the Chang'e-5 lunar sample-return mission and the Tianwen-1 Mars probe (which used the related CZ-5). Its uncontrolled core-stage reentries have drawn international concern.
China's CNSA publications and the IAF launch records are the standard sources. (CNSA)
10. SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5
Peak liftoff thrust (sea level): ~7,600 kN. Engines: 9 Merlin 1D.
Falcon 9 Block 5, introduced in 2018, is the workhorse of modern launch — by far the most-launched orbital rocket in history. Nine Merlin 1D engines (roughly 845 kN each at sea level) produce approximately 7,600 kN of thrust at liftoff. Payload to LEO is approximately 22.8 tonnes expendable, or roughly 17 tonnes with first-stage recovery.
Falcon 9 surpassed 400 successful launches in early 2026 and has launched the entire Starlink constellation, the majority of NASA crew and cargo missions to ISS, and a long list of commercial and national-security payloads. Some boosters have flown more than 20 times each.
While not the most powerful rocket on this list, Falcon 9 has flown more times than every other rocket above it combined. (SpaceX Falcon 9)
Methodology / How We Ranked
This ranking uses peak total thrust at sea level at the moment of liftoff, summed across all engines firing simultaneously. Sea-level thrust is the relevant figure because that is what determines whether a rocket can lift its own weight off the pad.
For tiebreakers and context we used maximum demonstrated or designed payload to low Earth orbit, drawing on operator fact sheets and verified flight history. For rockets that have never flown (Long March 9), we use stated design targets and flag this clearly.
We excluded:
- Concept-only rockets that are not in active engineering development (e.g., Sea Dragon, post-Saturn V studies).
- Sounding rockets and sub-orbital vehicles.
- Solid rocket boosters considered in isolation. SRBs from SLS and the Space Shuttle are counted as part of the integrated vehicle.
A rocket's place on this list does not measure its overall importance to spaceflight — Falcon 9 is arguably the most consequential rocket of the modern era despite ranking last by thrust.
FAQ
Is the Saturn V still the most powerful rocket? No. As of 2026, SpaceX's Super Heavy produces roughly twice the liftoff thrust of Saturn V. However, Saturn V remains the most powerful rocket that has flown crews to the Moon, and its 13-for-13 success record is unmatched among super-heavy lifters.
Why is N1 ranked above Saturn V if it never worked? Because the metric is peak liftoff thrust at sea level. N1's 30-engine first stage produced more thrust on paper than Saturn V's five F-1 engines. We note clearly that N1 never reached orbit on any of its four flights.
Has Starship reached orbit yet? The Starship upper stage has performed multiple suborbital and high-energy reentry tests. As of mid-2026 it has not yet completed a fully operational orbital deployment of a commercial payload, although the vehicle and Super Heavy combined have demonstrated all the major flight phases.
What is the most powerful rocket engine ever flown? The Russian RD-170 is the most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine ever flown, at about 7,257 kN of sea-level thrust per engine. Energia and Zenit used it. The F-1 used on Saturn V is the most powerful single-chamber engine, at about 6,770 kN.
Will Long March 9 actually fly? CASC has committed to the program publicly, and engine testing is in progress, but flight is not expected before 2030. Major architectural changes between 2018 and 2024 mean any specific date carries significant uncertainty.
Does payload to LEO matter more than thrust? For mission planners, yes. Thrust gets the rocket off the pad, but specific impulse, staging, and dry mass determine how much you can put in orbit. Saturn V and SLS Block 1 deliver more payload per unit thrust than Super Heavy currently does, because Super Heavy's full payload performance is unlocked only with on-orbit refueling.
Sources
- NASA Saturn V reference: https://www.nasa.gov/history/saturn-v/
- NASA SLS reference: https://www.nasa.gov/reference/space-launch-system/
- SpaceX Starship: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
- SpaceX Falcon Heavy: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy/
- SpaceX Falcon 9: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9/
- Blue Origin New Glenn: https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn/
- NASA NSSDCA spacecraft database (N1, Energia): https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
- CNSA / CASC publications on Long March family: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/
- Encyclopedia Astronautica historical archive: http://www.astronautix.com/
