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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | ULA | Khrunichev / Roscosmos | Roscosmos / Progress Rocket Space Centre |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇷🇺 Russia | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Active |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Heavy | Medium |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX (RD-180); LH₂ / LOX (Centaur III) | UDMH / N₂O₄ (hypergolic — all stages) | RP-1 / LOX |
| Reusable | No | No | No |
| Stages | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| First flight | 2002 – 2024 | 2001 – 2023 | 2004 |
| Payload to LEO | 18,850 kgas of [1]401 configuration. Maximum 401/551 stretch to 20,520 kg. 551 max 29,420 kg (5-solid boosters). | 22,400 kgas of [1] ↑ Best | 8,200 kgas of [1]Soyuz-2.1b with Fregat upper stage; 2.1a variant ~7,020 kg LEO |
| Payload to GTO | 8,900 kgas of [1]551 configuration (maximum performance) ↑ Best | 6,290 kgas of [1]With Briz-M upper stage | 3,250 kgas of [1]With Fregat-M upper stage |
| Height | 58.3 mas of [1]401 configuration ↑ Best | 58.2 mas of [1] | 46.3 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | 334 tas of [1]401 configuration without strap-ons | 712 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 312 tas of [1] |
| Success rate | 100%as of [2]99/99 mission successes from Aug 2002 through Apr 2024 (final Kuiper flight). Only launch vehicle with 100% success across 99 missions. ↑ Best | ~91%as of [2]~13 mission failures out of ~115 flights in Proton-M variant; highly toxic propellant complicated recovery operations | 97%as of [2]~160/165 mission successes since 2004 per aggregated launch logs |
| Total flights | 99as of [2]Retired after KA-01 (Amazon Kuiper satellite testbed, Apr 9, 2024) | ~115as of [2]Effectively retired ~2023 with Russian government replacing it with Angara A5 | ~165as of [2] ↑ Best |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | — |
| Summary | ULA's workhorse from 2002–2024. Launched Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity), OSIRIS-REx, Solar Orbiter, Lucy, New Horizons, and the Boeing Starliner. Its Russian RD-180 first-stage engine became a political liability after 2022; last flight was the Amazon Kuiper testbed on Apr 9, 2024. | Russia's dominant heavy-lift rocket for GEO comsats and planetary missions from 1965 (Proton family) through 2023 (Proton-M). Notorious for its hypergolic propellant — a highly toxic UDMH/N₂O₄ combination that caused environmental concerns at Baikonur. Replaced by Angara A5. | Russia's primary medium-lift workhorse, descended from the Soyuz family that has flown since 1966. Carries both crewed Soyuz spacecraft and Cygnus-class cargo. Fregat upper stage significantly expands mission flexibility. Production continues at Samara (now TsSKB-Progress). |
28 launch vehicles across 10 countries — active, retired, and in development — with primary-source citations from manufacturer user guides and agency press kits. Pure URL state: bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.