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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) 🇮🇳 India Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Active · Last updated 2026-07-26Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | ExPace (CASIC subsidiary) | ISRO / Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | Firefly Aerospace |
| Country | 🇨🇳 China | 🇮🇳 India | 🇺🇸 USA |
| Status | Active | Active | Active |
| Vehicle class | Small | Small | Small |
| Propellant | Solid (3 stages) + liquid-fueled 4th stage | Solid (HTPB, stages 1–3) / MMH-MON3 liquid (velocity trimming module) | RP-1 / LOX |
| Reusable | No | No | No |
| Stages | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| First flight | 2017 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payload to LEO | 400 kgas of [1] | 500 kgas of [1]500 km altitude, 35–55° inclination. 300 kg to 500 km SSO. | 1,030 kgas of [1]SSO capacity ~630 kg ↑ Best |
| Payload to GTO | — | — | — |
| Height | 19.4 mas of [1] | 34 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 29 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | 30 tas of [1]Transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) capable — road-mobile solid launcher. | 120 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 54 tas of [1] |
| Success rate | ~85% (23 successes, 3 failures, 1 partial failure of 27)as of [1] ↑ Best | 2/3 (67%)as of [1]First flight (Aug 2022) partial failure — satellites reached a lower-than-planned orbit. Second and third flights successful. | 43%as of [2]3/7 full successes (FLTA003 Jul 2023, FLTA005 Dec 2024, FLTA007 Mar 2026) + 2 partial successes + 2 failures through FLTA007 |
| Total flights | 27as of [1] ↑ Best | 3as of [1] | 7as of [2] |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | ₹30–35 crore per launch (~$3.1M–$3.6M)as of [1]Total launch price, not a per-kg figure. | ~$14,500/kgas of [1]Based on ~$15M list price / 1,030 kg LEO ↓ Cheapest |
| Summary | CASIC's road-mobile, quick-response small solid launcher, operated commercially by ExPace since 2017 — one of the higher-cadence Chinese small-lift vehicles. | ISRO's small-satellite launcher, designed for quick-turnaround dedicated smallsat missions. Full manufacturing, marketing and launch rights were transferred to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in June 2025 under a technology-transfer agreement. | 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. |
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.