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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | ULA | LandSpace | Gilmour Space Technologies |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇨🇳 China | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| Status | Active | Active | In Development |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Medium | Small |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX (RD-180); LH₂ / LOX (Centaur III) | CH₄ / LOX (9× TQ-12B first stage; TQ-15B vacuum upper stage) | Hybrid (Sirius motors, stages 1–2) / liquid (Phoenix engine, stage 3) |
| Reusable | No | Yes | No |
| Stages | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| First flight | 2002 | 2025 | 2025 |
| 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). | 21,000 kgas of [1]Expendable; ~18,300 kg with first-stage recovery ↑ Best | 300 kgas of [1] |
| Payload to GTO | 8,900 kgas of [1]551 configuration (maximum performance) ↑ Best | — | — |
| Height | 58.3 mas of [1]401 configuration | 76.2 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 25 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | 334 tas of [1]401 configuration without strap-ons | ~660 tas of [1] ↑ Best | — |
| Success rate | 99.1%as of [2]108 full successes + 1 partial failure (NROL-30, Jun 2007 — payload still reached usable orbit) across 109 launches | 100%as of [2]1/1 orbital successes (Y1, Dec 3, 2025). First-stage recovery failed — abnormal combustion during the landing burn crashed the booster near the landing zone. ↑ Best | 0/1as of [1]Maiden flight 2025-07-30 crashed 14 seconds after launch (insufficient thrust), from Bowen Orbital Spaceport, Queensland — Australia's first domestic orbital launch attempt. Preceded by two scrubs (2025-05-15 electrical issue, 2025-05-16 fairing anomaly). A second test flight was slated for early 2026. Block 2 (1,000 kg payload) and Eris Heavy (4,000 kg payload) variants are planned. |
| Total flights | 109as of [2]No longer sold but still flying its backlog: ~8 launches remained as of Apr 2026 (6 Starliner + 2 Amazon Leo); most recent flight Amazon Leo LA-07 (May 29, 2026), ~7 remain ↑ Best | 1as of [3]Second orbital launch and recovery attempt targeted Q2 2026 per LandSpace | 1as of [1] |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | — |
| Summary | ULA's workhorse since 2002 and the longest-serving active US rocket. Launched Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity), OSIRIS-REx, Solar Orbiter, Lucy, New Horizons, and the Boeing Starliner. Production ended in 2024 and ULA no longer sells the vehicle, but it continues flying a sold-out backlog of Starliner and Amazon Leo missions into the late 2020s. | LandSpace's stainless-steel, reusable methalox rocket — China's closest analogue to Falcon 9. The Y1 debut (Dec 3, 2025) reached orbit on the first attempt but lost the booster during its landing attempt; a second flight with another recovery attempt is targeted for Q2 2026. | Australia's first domestically developed orbital launch vehicle attempt, using a hybrid-propellant first and second stage; the maiden flight failed 14 seconds after liftoff in July 2025. |
48 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.