List of worlds largest space launch systems

[500]

1. Saturn V (USA)

Weight - 2,965 t,
Height - 110.6 m
Payload to LEO - 118,000 kg
1967-1973

13 successful launches (one partial). Including 6 lunar landings and 3 lunar orbits.

2. N1 (USSR)

Weight - 2,735 t
Height - 105.3 m
Payload to LEO - 90,000 kg
1969-1972

A part of Soviet moon program. All 4 launches have failed.

3. Energia (USSR)

Weight - 2,400 t
Height - 59 m
Payload to LEO - 105,000 kg
1987-1988

2 successful launches. Retired.

4. Space Shuttle (USA)

Weight - 2,030 t
Height - 56,1 m
Payload to LEO - 109,000 kg/24,400 kg
1981-2011

135 launches total. 1 failed launch and 1 failed landing. Retired.

5. Titan IV (USA)

Weight - 943 t
Height - 44 m
Payload to LEO - 21,680 kg
1989-2005

The last and biggest member of Titan family. 39 launches, 4 failures. Retired.

6. Ariane V (Europe)

Weight - 777 t
Height - 59 m
Payload to LEO - 21,000 kg
1996-*

The largest currently active system in the world and the largest launcher which is not American or Soviet/Russian. The Ariane V is entirely new design. 73 launches, 2 failures, 2 partial failures.

7. Delta IV Heavy (USA)

Weight - 733 t
Height - 72 m
Payload to LEO - 22,560 kg
2004-*

A largest member of Delta IV family (Delta IV family is completely different from previous Delta series). 7 total launches, 1 partial failure. The only rocket with stages LH2, including boosters. Active.

8. Proton-M (USSR/Russia)

Weight - 713 t
Height - 53 m
Payload to LEO - 22,000 kg
1965/2001-*

All versions of Proton had total 390 launches, including 345 successful. Active.
9. Saturn IB (USA)

Weight - 590 t
Height - 51 m
Payload to LEO - 18,600 kg
1966-1975

9 successful launches. Retired.

 

[500]

10. Atlas V 551 (USA)

Weight - 587 t
Height - 62.2 m
Payload to LEO - 18,500 kg
2002/2006-*

Atlas V had 43 launches with 1 partial failure. Atlas V 551 had 4 successful launches. Active.

11. H-IIB (Japan)

Weight - 531 t
Height - 56.6 m
Payload to LEO - 19,000 kg
2009-*

Developed from H-II/A with two first stage engines instead of 1. 4 successful launches. Active.

12. Falcon 9 v1.1 (USA)

Weight - 506 t
Height - 68.4 m
Payload to LEO - 13,150 kg
2010/2013-*

Very similar in design to Falcon 9 v1.0 but much larger. 3 successful launches. v1.0 had 5 successful launches (1 partial). Active.

13. Zenit-3F (USSR/Ukraine/Russia)

Weight - 471 t
Height - 59.6 m
Payload to LEO - 13,740 kg
1985-*

All versions of Zenit had total 81 launches, 10 failures and 3 partial failures. Active.

14. Ariane 44L (Europe)

Weight - 470 t
Height - 58.4 m
Payload to LEO - 10,200 kg
1988-2003

Derived from Ariane III. 116 launches total, 3 failures. Retired.

15. Long March 2F (China)

Weight - 464 t
Height - 62 m
Payload to LEO - 8,400 kg
1999-*

11 successful launches. A very similar in size and design Long March 3B (payload to LEO 12,000 kg) had 25 launches, 1 failure and 1 partial failure. Both active.

16. GSLV (India)

Weight - 414 t
Height - 49 m
Payload to LEO - 5,000+ kg
2001-*

8 launches, 4 failures, 1 partial failure. Active.

17. Soyuz-U (USSR/Russia)

Weight - 313 t
Height - 51.1 m
Payload to LEO - 6,900 kg
1973-*

A largest member of Soyuz and R-7 family. 727 launches 19 failures. The most launched space system ever. Active.

The entire R-7 family had 1701 space launches so far including 1600 successful.
The Soyuz family had 905 space launches including 880 successful.

18. Delta III 8000 (USA)

Weight - 301 t
Height - 35 m
Payload to LEO - 8,290 kg
1998-2000

Derived from successful Delta II family but much heavier. 3 launches with 2 failures and 1 partial success. Retired.

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All other systems are much lighter or are subclasses of the systems mentioned above.

 

[Falcon29]

Where do you copy and paste this stuff from? Why not a list of long term occupations??

 

[500]

Where do you copy and paste this stuff from?

My own work.

Why not a list of long term occupations??

Homo sapiens occupy the earth since 200,000 BC.

 

[TimeToScoot]

Nice list though a date of launch would have been very helpful. So America had launched a 120,000 kg LEO rocket back in the 70s while India will launch a 10,000 kg LEO rocket in June-July this year (2014). That is a huge huge gap!

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Keep in mind the Space Shuttle's engines and the solid rocket engines were specifically designed to be reused multiple times...and the solid ones have to survive a 100kph parachute splash landing in salt water.

That's quite an impressive feat of engineering right there.

Video of recovery of the solid rocket boosters:

 

[IndoUS]

Nice list though a date of launch would have been very helpful. So America had launched a 120,000 kg LEO rocket back in the 70s while India will launch a 10,000 kg LEO rocket in June-July this year (2014). That is a huge huge gap!

True, but you have to realize that US has a very well funded space program, and also a lot of experience, since a lot of scientist that fled Nazi Germany also helped in the US space rocket program like the Saturn rocket, and back then they were in competition with the USSR so funding was not an issue. Unlike ISRO which has to work on peanuts for a budget.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

The CZ-3B rocket is 12000kg of LEO, so it should be put in the 14th place.

Long March 3B - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[jarves]

Nice list though a date of launch would have been very helpful. So America had launched a 120,000 kg LEO rocket back in the 70s while India will launch a 10,000 kg LEO rocket in June-July this year (2014). That is a huge huge gap!

Indeed We are atleast 50 years behind both America and Russia,10 to 15 years behind China and Europe.We may overtake Japan in next 10 years and rest of the countries dont have space lunachers of there own.
At last but not the least we dont need such heavy launchers becasue we are not planning to have ISS of our own and neither we can afford it.
Bit i guess you may be interested in ISRO's future projects they are very sexy

 

[500]

Nice list though a date of launch would have been very helpful.

Tnx, added.

 

[jarves]

Tnx, added.

You should have also compared GEO payload.

 

[Lil Mathew]

Nice list though a date of launch would have been very helpful. So America had launched a 120,000 kg LEO rocket back in the 70s while India will launch a 10,000 kg LEO rocket in June-July this year (2014). That is a huge huge gap!

the main things are setting space objectives according to their contries needs and completing that with available resources... for example moon mission was inevitable for USA for maintaining superiority in cold war... they also had resources for that.. they hired best talents from the world and had plenty of money.. for example saturn 5 project alone was a 7 billion US dollar project in 1970.. if we adjust to inflation it is same as 35-40 billion USd today.. our ISRO's total budget from 1969 is only a small percentage of that.. our last year budget is only ~1 billion usd..
even US can't afford such missions today.. such gigantic rockets are now obsolete..

 

[Lonely Hermit]

GSLV - Mk III


Mass630,000 Kg
Height42.4 m
Diameter4.0 m

Capacity
Payload to LEO10,000 kg
Payload to
GTO4,000–5000 kg


Scheduled for May-June 2014 launch

 

[jarves]

@Lonely Hermit it is not a launch but a test only,It will be launched in 2016-2017.

 

[faisal6309]

I like that information above but I won't like the posts of the citizen of a Zionist and racist state.