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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Roscosmos / Progress Rocket Space Centre | SpaceX | JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Country | 🇷🇺 Russia | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Status | Active | Active | Retired |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX | RP-1 / LOX | LH₂ / LOX (LE-7A first stage + LE-5B second stage) |
| Reusable | No | Yes | No |
| Stages | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| First flight | 2004 | 2010 | 2001 – 2025 |
| Payload to LEO | 8,200 kgas of [1]Soyuz-2.1b with Fregat upper stage; 2.1a variant ~7,020 kg LEO | 22,800 kgas of [1]Reusable first stage (expended gives 22,800 kg; reused gives ~15,600 kg) ↑ Best | 10,000 kgas of [1]202 configuration (2 SRB-A3 solid strap-ons) |
| Payload to GTO | 3,250 kgas of [1]With Fregat-M upper stage | 8,300 kgas of [1]Expendable configuration. Reusable GTO capacity ~5,500 kg. ↑ Best | 4,100 kgas of [1]202 configuration |
| Height | 46.3 mas of [1] | 70 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 53 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | 312 tas of [1] | 549 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 285 tas of [1]202 configuration |
| Success rate | 97%as of [2]~160/165 mission successes since 2004 per aggregated launch logs | 99.5%as of [2]634/637 full successes; Block 5 alone 580/581 = 99.8% ↑ Best | 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). |
| Total flights | ~165as of [2] | 637as of [2] ↑ Best | 50as of [2]50 flights from 2001–2025. H3 replaces it from 2024 onward. |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | ~$2,720/kgas of [1]Based on $67M list price / 22,800 kg LEO (expendable) ↓ Cheapest | — |
| Summary | Russia's primary medium-lift workhorse, descended from the Soyuz family that has flown since 1966. Carries both crewed Soyuz spacecraft and Cygnus-class cargo. Fregat upper stage significantly expands mission flexibility. Production continues at Samara (now TsSKB-Progress). | 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. | 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. |
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.