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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | LandSpace | JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | PLD Space |
| Country | 🇨🇳 China | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| Status | Active | Retired | In Development |
| Vehicle class | Medium | Medium | Small |
| Propellant | CH₄ / LOX (9× TQ-12B first stage; TQ-15B vacuum upper stage) | LH₂ / LOX (LE-7A first stage + LE-5B second stage) | RP-1 / LOX |
| Reusable | Yes | No | Yes |
| Stages | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| First flight | 2025 | 2001 – 2025 | 2026 |
| Payload to LEO | 21,000 kgas of [1]Expendable; ~18,300 kg with first-stage recovery ↑ Best | 10,000 kgas of [1]202 configuration (2 SRB-A3 solid strap-ons) | 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. |
| Payload to GTO | — | 4,100 kgas of [1]202 configuration ↑ Best | — |
| Height | 76.2 mas of [1] ↑ Best | 53 mas of [1] | 35.7 mas of [1] |
| Liftoff mass | ~660 tas of [1] ↑ Best | 285 tas of [1]202 configuration | 69 tas of [1] |
| Success rate | 100%as of [2]1/1 orbital successes (Y1, Dec 3, 2025). First-stage recovery failed — abnormal combustion during the landing burn crashed the booster near the landing zone. ↑ 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 | 1as of [3]Second orbital launch and recovery attempt targeted Q2 2026 per LandSpace | 50as of [2]50 flights from 2001–2025. H3 replaces it from 2024 onward. ↑ Best | — |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | — |
| Summary | LandSpace's stainless-steel, reusable methalox rocket — China's closest analogue to Falcon 9. The Y1 debut (Dec 3, 2025) reached orbit on the first attempt but lost the booster during its landing attempt; a second flight with another recovery attempt is targeted for Q2 2026. | 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. | 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. |
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.