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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Rocket Lab | Avio / Arianespace | SpaceX |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇪🇺 Europe | 🇺🇸 USA |
| Status | In Development | Active | Active |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Small | Medium |
| Propellant | CH₄ / LOX | Solid (HTPB + ammonium perchlorate all four stages) | RP-1 / LOX |
| Reusable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stages | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| First flight | 2026 | 2022 | 2010 |
| Payload to LEO | 13,000 kgas of [1]Expendable; ~8,000 kg reusable with first-stage return | 2,300 kgas of [1]SSO: ~1,700 kg | 22,800 kgas of [1]Reusable first stage (expended gives 22,800 kg; reused gives ~15,600 kg) ↑ Best |
| Payload to GTO | — | — | 8,300 kgas of [1]Expendable configuration. Reusable GTO capacity ~5,500 kg. ↑ Best |
| Height | ~40 mas of [1] | 35 mas of [1] | 70 mas of [1] ↑ Best |
| Liftoff mass | ~481 tas of [1] | 210 tas of [1] | 549 tas of [1] ↑ Best |
| Success rate | — | 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. | 99.5%as of [2]634/637 full successes; Block 5 alone 580/581 = 99.8% ↑ Best |
| Total flights | — | 8as of [2] | 637as of [2] ↑ Best |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | ~$16,500/kgas of [1]Based on ~$38M list price / 2,300 kg | ~$2,720/kgas of [1]Based on $67M list price / 22,800 kg LEO (expendable) ↓ 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. | 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. | The world's most frequently flown orbital rocket. Block 5 first stages have landed over 280 times and reflown up to 23 times. Backbone of Starlink and commercial crewed launches. |
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.