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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Rocket Lab | JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Avio / Arianespace |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇪🇺 Europe |
| Status | In Development | Retired | Active |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Medium | Small |
| Propellant | CH₄ / LOX | LH₂ / LOX (LE-7A first stage + LE-5B second stage) | Solid (HTPB + ammonium perchlorate all four stages) |
| Reusable | Yes | No | No |
| Stages | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| First flight | 2026 | 2001 – 2025 | 2022 |
| Payload to LEO | 13,000 kgas of [1]Expendable; ~8,000 kg reusable with first-stage return ↑ Best | 10,000 kgas of [1]202 configuration (2 SRB-A3 solid strap-ons) | 2,300 kgas of [1]SSO: ~1,700 kg |
| Payload to GTO | — | 4,100 kgas of [1]202 configuration ↑ Best | — |
| Height | ~40 mas of [1] | 53 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 35 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | ~481 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 285 tas of [1]202 configuration | 210 tas of [1] |
| Success rate | — | 98%as of [2]49/50 successes. Only failure: F6 (Nov 2003, MTSAT-1R lost due to SRB separation anomaly). Retired after Flight 50 (GOSAT-GW, Jun 28, 2025). ↑ Best | 75%as of [2]6/8 successes; VV22 (Dec 2022) Zefiro-40 failure destroyed Pléiades Neo 5&6; returned to flight VV25 (Dec 2024). 3 successes in 2025. |
| Total flights | — | 50as of [2]50 flights from 2001–2025. H3 replaces it from 2024 onward. ↑ Best | 8as of [2] |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | ~$16,500/kgas of [1]Based on ~$38M list price / 2,300 kg ↓ Cheapest |
| Summary | Rocket Lab's medium-lift reusable rocket targeting the $100B constellation replenishment market. Uses a 'hungry hippo' fairings design that opens at the top rather than traditional clamshell separation. First flight delayed to Q4 2026 after a Jan 2026 propellant tank test anomaly. | Japan's flagship medium-lift rocket for 24 years, retiring after an exceptional 49/50 mission success record. Launched the SELENE lunar orbiter (2007), Akatsuki Venus probe (2010), Hayabusa2 (2014), SLIM lunar lander (2023), and the ALOS series Earth observation satellites. | Europe's primary small satellite launcher derived from Vega. The P120C first-stage motor is shared with Ariane 6's solid strap-on boosters. Avio took over programme management from Arianespace in Dec 2025. |
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.