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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Firefly Aerospace | PLD Space | ExPace (CASIC subsidiary) |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇨🇳 China |
| Status | Active | In Development | Active |
| Vehicle class | Small | Small | Small |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX | RP-1 / LOX | Solid (3 stages) + liquid upper stage |
| Reusable | No | Yes | No |
| Stages | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| First flight | 2021 | 2026 | 2020 |
| Payload to LEO | 1,030 kgas of [1]SSO capacity ~630 kg | 1,080 kgas of [1]540 kg to SSO. First flight is a stated plan (targeted Q1 2026 as of this research; not yet confirmed flown) — treat as a target, not a fact. | 1,500 kgas of [1] ↑ Best |
| Payload to GTO | — | — | — |
| Height | 29 mas of [1] | 35.7 mas of [1] ↑ Best | — |
| Liftoff mass | 54 tas of [1] | 69 tas of [1] | 78 tas of [1]Transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) capable. ↑ Best |
| Success rate | 43%as of [2]3/7 full successes (FLTA003 Jul 2023, FLTA005 Dec 2024, FLTA007 Mar 2026) + 2 partial successes + 2 failures through FLTA007 | — | 80% (4/5)as of [1]Debut flight (2020-07-10) failed; returned to flight 2022-12-07 successfully. ↑ Best |
| Total flights | 7as of [2] ↑ Best | — | 5as of [1] |
| Cost / kg LEO | ~$14,500/kgas of [1]Based on ~$15M list price / 1,030 kg LEO ↓ Cheapest | — | — |
| Summary | Firefly Aerospace's two-stage small-lift rocket powered by four Reaver engines at sea level and one Lightning engine in vacuum. Also provides launch services for NASA's CLPS programme (Blue Ghost lander launched on Falcon 9). FLTA007 'Stairway to Seven' succeeded Mar 11, 2026. | PLD Space's orbital small launcher with a recoverable first stage (engine thrust + parachutes), developed with ESA Future Launchers Preparatory Programme support; primary launch site is the Guiana Space Centre. | The larger sibling of Kuaizhou-1A, roughly 3.75x the payload class, road-mobile and solid-fueled, recovering commercial cadence after a 2020 debut failure. |
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.