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This comparison of orbital launch systems lists the attributes of all current and future individual rocket configurations designed to reach orbit. A first list contains rockets that are operational or have attempted an orbital flight attempt as of 2024; a second list includes all upcoming rockets.
Northrop Grumman NASA (CRS) Success Cygnus NG-12 is the first mission under the NASA Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. NG-12 is also the first to use upgraded launcher, Antares 230+. 12 February 15, 2020 20:21 Antares 230+ MARS, LP-0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-13 Robert Lawrence, Jr. 3,377 kg (7,445 lbs) LEO (ISS) Northrop Grumman NASA (CRS)
The Minotaur IV combines U.S. government-furnished solid rocket motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs with technologies from other Orbital-built launch vehicles, including the Minotaur I, Pegasus, and Taurus. The Minotaur IV launch vehicle consists of an SR118 first stage, SR119 second stage, SR120 third stage, and Orion 38 fourth stage.
A Minotaur IV Lite rocket at Vandenberg SLC-8 prior to the launch of HTV-2b in 2011. The Minotaur IV (and the overall Minotaur rocket family) was developed by Orbital Sciences (now owned by Northrop Grumman) as part of the United States Air Force's Orbital Suborbital Program. [7] There are three variants available: Minotaur IV, IV+, and IV Lite.
A medium-lift launch vehicle (MLV) is a rocket launch vehicle that is capable of lifting between 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb) by NASA classification or between 5,000 to 20,000 kilograms (11,000 to 44,000 lb) by Russian classification [1] of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). [2]
The carrier aircraft (initially a NASA B-52, now an L-1011 owned by Northrop Grumman) serves as a booster to increase payloads at reduced cost. 12,000 m (39,000 ft) is only about 4% of a low Earth orbital altitude, and the subsonic aircraft reaches only about 3% of orbital velocity, yet by delivering the launch vehicle to this speed and ...
A HAPS (Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System) upper stage can also be flown if greater precision is needed, or the rocket needs to be able to manoeuvre to deploy multiple payloads. [5] It can place up to 580 kilograms (1,280 lb) of payload into a 185-kilometer (115 mi) low Earth orbit at 28.5 degrees of inclination .
While most Cygnus missions have been launched atop Northrop Grumman's Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, NG-21 was the second of three missions planned to launch atop the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Northrop Grumman exhausted the supply of its Antares 230+ rocket after the NG-19 ...