Launch vehicle

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A Saturn V launch vehicle sends Apollo 15 on its way to the moon.
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A Saturn V launch vehicle sends Apollo 15 on its way to the moon.

A launch vehicle is a rocket that is used to launch a payload into space. It usually will place this payload into orbit.

The term derives from the American term "Satellite Launching Vehicle".

In the English language, the phrase "carrier rocket" was also used, and is still used by some circles in Britain. A translation of that phrase is used in German and Russian. The US Air Force adopted the term because they thought the term "carrier rocket" sounded too navalised.

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In other languages