Rockets Falcon 9 is SpaceX's two-stage rocket with a reusable first stage that lands and reflies. Here is how it works, what it launches, and why it matters.
Rockets The Space Launch System is the rocket NASA built to send astronauts back to the Moon. What SLS lifts, how it is built, and why the program is contested.
Rockets The Vulcan Centaur is ULA's rocket with Blue Origin BE-4 engines, built for national-security and commercial launches to replace the Atlas V and Delta IV.
Reusability Reusable rockets land their first stage and fly it again. Here is how vertical landing, grid fins, and refurbishment work, plus the cost math behind reuse.
Basics A launch vehicle is a rocket that carries a payload to orbit. Here is how stages, orbits like LEO and GEO, and payload classes actually work.
Basics A rocket launch burns through a fixed countdown and several rocket stages before the payload finally reaches orbital speed and separates from the vehicle.
Rockets New Glenn is Blue Origin's two-stage orbital rocket with a reusable first stage. How it is built, what it launches, and how it compares to Falcon 9.
Launch Companies Blue Origin vs SpaceX: how the two launch companies compare on flight cadence, rocket size, lunar lander contracts, ownership, and revenue.
Rockets Electron is Rocket Lab's small, carbon-composite rocket that flies one satellite's mission at a time. How it works and what it costs to launch.
Rockets New Glenn vs Falcon 9: Blue Origin's rocket is taller with a wider fairing, while Falcon 9 reflies boosters in days. How Falcon 9 vs New Glenn compare.
Launch Sites SpaceX operates four active launch sites across Texas, Florida, and California, with two in development. The full roster, pad assignments, and status.
Rockets Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable super-heavy rocket, in flight testing. SLS is NASA's expendable Moon rocket, building toward a crewed flight.
Launch Sites Starbase, Texas is an incorporated city of 500 residents in Cameron County housing SpaceX headquarters, Starship production lines, and launch pads.
Rockets Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable super-heavy rocket in flight testing. New Glenn is Blue Origin's smaller, already-orbital reusable rocket. Compared.
Launch Sites SpaceX and Louisiana announced Starbase Louisiana in August 2026. Here is what is planned for Pecan Island, the 125,000-acre scale, jobs, and the timeline.
Rockets Vulcan Centaur is ULA's mostly expendable national-security rocket. New Glenn is Blue Origin's larger, reusable heavy-lifter. Both share the BE-4 engine.
Launch Sites State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach are the public route to Starbase, but the site sits behind a safety perimeter and the road closes for tests.
Rockets Starship is the largest rocket ever flown. Falcon Heavy is the most powerful proven operational rocket. New Glenn, SLS, and Vulcan round out the field.
Reusability The U.S. flies reusable rockets on a routine schedule. China, India, Europe, and Russia are developing recovery hardware; Japan has not yet flown one.
Launch Sites Louisiana projects 3,000 direct jobs averaging $92,600 at Starbase Louisiana. Review the timeline, site plans, and realistic hiring expectations.
Launch Economics SpaceX publishes no official Starship launch price. Review Musk's stated targets, outside estimates, and how reusability shapes flight economics.
Rockets Zhuque-3 is LandSpace's stainless-steel, methane rocket. In August 2026 it became the first Chinese booster to land on legs. Specs and flight record.
Rockets China landed two orbital boosters in 2026 and reflown neither. Long March 10B, Zhuque-3, Tianlong-3, Hyperbola-3, and Pallas-1, each landing record.
Rockets The Long March family has flown more than 600 times. A variant-by-variant table of the active fleet, with payload, propellant and launch site for each.
Rockets The Long March 10 is the rocket China built to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030. Its three-core design, 21 engines, payload figures and test record.
Rockets The Long March 10 and NASA's SLS both send 27 tons toward the Moon. One has flown, one has not. Payload, engines, cost and architecture compared.
Rockets Compare Rocket Lab and SpaceX on orbital payload, launch cadence, list prices, satellite business mix, and reported revenue from public SEC filings.
Rockets China landed two boosters in 2026. SpaceX passed 600 reflights. Landing record, turnaround, cadence and cost compared, with the numbers behind each claim.
Rockets China Great Wall prices a Long March telecom launch near $70 million. Published per-flight and per-kilogram figures for Long March, Lijian and Zhuque-3.
Rockets Zhuque-3 and Starship both use stainless steel and methane engines. One has landed once, at a tenth the scale. How the two reusable rockets compare.
Launch Economics Blue Origin has not published an official New Glenn launch cost. Outside estimates, payload capacity, and reported vehicle costs explained.
Rockets Zhuque-3 and New Glenn both fly methane-fueled reusable boosters. How the two rockets compare on payload capacity, landing records, and flight history.
Rockets How to watch a SpaceX Starship launch live: SpaceX's own stream, independent commentary streams, and the public viewing spots near Starbase, Texas.
Rockets Dream Chaser is a winged, reusable cargo spacecraft built by Sierra Space for NASA. How it launches, lands, and differs from a capsule like Dragon.
Rockets Falcon Heavy bolts three Falcon 9 boosters together for 27 Merlin engines and 63.8 metric tons to orbit. How it flies, lands, and who it launches for.
Rockets Falcon Heavy cuts launch costs through booster reusability, while NASA's SLS provides higher thrust for crewed lunar flights. How the two compare.
Rockets Falcon Heavy has an established flight record with 16 booster landings. New Glenn offers a wider 7-meter fairing and newer engines. How they compare.
Rockets Long March 10 lifts crewed lunar hardware for China. New Glenn flies commercial satellites with a reusable booster. Specs and flight records compared.
Rockets SpaceX's Falcon Heavy offers proven booster reuse and higher mass limits. ULA's Vulcan Centaur brings Centaur upper-stage endurance. How they compare.
Rockets Falcon Heavy flies real operational missions today, while Starship pursues full reusability in flight tests. How SpaceX's two heavy-lift rockets compare.
Rockets SpaceX's Starship aims for full reusability while China's Long March 10 prepares for crewed lunar missions. How their specs, tests, and Moon plans compare.
Rockets Long March 10 vs Falcon Heavy compares China's crewed lunar rocket to SpaceX's reusable launcher, evaluating thrust, payload ratings, and flight records.
Infrastructure US spaceports include FAA-licensed commercial sites, federal ranges, and private pads. Here is how they operate and where the country launches.
Rockets Vulcan Centaur vs SLS compares ULA's flexible commercial rocket with NASA's super-heavy lunar launcher on thrust, payload, cost, and mission roles.
Rockets Vulcan Centaur uses an expendable booster and hydrogen upper stage. Falcon 9 relies on a reusable booster. Both fly US Space Force defense missions.
Rockets Vulcan Centaur vs Long March 10 compares ULA's operational heavy-lifter to China's crewed lunar rocket on thrust, payload, and flight status.
Missions Everything about JAXA's MMX mission to Phobos: launch date, H3 rocket flight, sampling operations, NASA instruments, and the 2031 Earth return.
Rockets Neutron is Rocket Lab's methane-fueled, medium-lift rocket with a captive fairing and landing legs. Specs, recovery architecture, and debut timeline.
Rockets Ariane 6 is Europe's orbital launcher built by ArianeGroup. Specifications, A62 and A64 variants, P160C boosters, and flight record through 2026.
Rockets Ariane 6 vs Vulcan Centaur: how the two expendable heavy-lift rockets compare on payload, engines, flight records, and institutional missions.
Rockets Neutron vs Falcon 9 compares Rocket Lab's medium-lift vehicle in development to SpaceX's operational workhorse on payload, reuse, and flight readiness.
Rockets Stoke Space is building the fully reusable Nova rocket. Review its $2.3 billion in funding, test facilities, leadership, and orbital plans.
Rockets Ariane 6 vs Falcon 9 compares Europe's sovereign rocket to SpaceX's reusable workhorse on cost, payload, reusability, and flight cadence.
Rockets The Nova rocket is Stoke Space's fully reusable two-stage launcher designed to lift 2,500 kg to low Earth orbit, with first flight targeted for early 2027.
Launch Economics SpaceX publishes a standard commercial Falcon 9 launch price of $74 million. See payload limits, cost per kilogram calculations, and pricing comparisons.
Rockets SpaceX has announced no Falcon 9 retirement date. While commercial rideshare bookings face reported freezes, Falcon 9 will fly missions into the 2030s.
Rockets SpaceX rideshare flies small satellites to orbit from $350,000 for up to 50 kg. News outlets report bookings past 2028 are frozen as Falcon 9 winds down.
Rockets Falcon 9 has launched 692 times with a 99.57% full-success rate as of October 2026. Review annual launch counts, landing totals, and reuse milestones.
Rockets Procurement guide for Falcon 9 alternatives. Compare payload, pricing, and availability across Vulcan, Ariane 6, Electron, Neutron, and New Glenn.
Rockets Firefly Alpha carries 1,030 kg to low Earth orbit with three successes across seven flights. Compare its specifications, flight history, and launch costs.
Launch Providers What the Nuri rocket is, details on the fifth launch carrying 15 satellites, NEONSAT constellation plans, launch history, and commercial role.
Launch Providers What Skyroot Aerospace builds and what Vikram-1 is. Vehicle capacities, engine configurations, and documented company milestones.
Crewed Flight Who is flying on SpaceX Crew-13 and what the mission involves. Flight timing, crew assignments, space station handover details, and science investigations.
Cargo Missions SpaceX's 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-35) launched October 13, 2026. Cargo weight, solar arrays, docking plan, and science aboard.
Crewed Flight Who flew on SpaceX Crew-12 and how it ended. Launch timing, crew roster, station science investigations, and the October 8, 2026 Pacific splashdown.
Spaceports A regulatory filing shows a proposed natural gas pipeline to serve SpaceX at Cape Canaveral. Key facts from Florida PSC Docket 20260094-GU.
Rockets The N1 moon rocket was the Soviet Union's super-heavy vehicle meant to land cosmonauts on the Moon. How it was designed and why all four launches failed.
Rockets New Shepard is Blue Origin's reusable suborbital rocket and capsule system for space tourism and research flights. How it flies, who rides, and key limits.
Getting to orbit is the hardest part
Every satellite, space station, and crewed mission starts the same way: with a rocket fighting its way through the atmosphere and accelerating to more than 28,000 kilometers per hour, the speed needed to stay in low Earth orbit. Launch is the gate every space ambition passes through, and for decades it was the most expensive part, costing tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram on rockets that were thrown away after a single flight.
That is the piece that has changed most. Reusable rockets turned the launch vehicle from a disposable machine into something closer to an aircraft that flies, lands, refuels, and flies again. The result is a steep drop in cost and a sharp rise in how often the world reaches orbit, and it is the reason the satellite and constellation boom covered elsewhere on OrbitalIntel is even possible.
The rockets we cover
Our per-vehicle explainers walk through how each major rocket actually works. Starship is SpaceX's fully reusable super-heavy system aimed at the Moon and Mars. Falcon 9 is the workhorse whose landing first stage made reuse routine. NASA's SLS is the expendable heavy-lifter behind the Artemis Moon program, and ULA's Vulcan handles national-security and commercial launches. Two more vehicles round out the picture: Blue Origin's New Glenn is a reusable heavy-lifter built to compete directly with Falcon 9, and Rocket Lab's Electron is a small dedicated launcher built for one satellite at a time. Outside the US, Rocket Lab's Neutron is the company's unflown medium-lift step up from Electron, and Europe's Ariane 6 is ArianeGroup's expendable heavy-lifter flying for ESA and Arianespace.
How launch works, from first principles
If you are new to the topic, start with launch vehicles explained, which covers stages, the orbits a rocket can reach, and the payload classes from small to super-heavy. Then how reusable rockets work explains the propulsive landings, grid fins, and refurbishment behind the cost revolution, and which companies have actually pulled it off. The engines that make all of it possible are covered in our space technology section.
How to use this section
These are reference explainers, not launch schedules. We describe how each vehicle is designed and what it is for, and we separate flown hardware from announced plans. Flight counts, exact payloads, and dates move constantly, so we describe them in ranges and mark anything time-sensitive.