Heavy-lift launch vehicle

Delta IV Heavy launching a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload on August 28, 2013, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Ariane 5 ES launching the Albert Einstein ATV towards the International Space Station in June 2013

Proton-M on the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome

A heavy-lift launch vehicle, or HLV or HLLV, is an orbital launch vehicle capable of lifting between 20,000 to 50,000 kg to low Earth orbit.^[1] Operational heavy-lift launch vehicles included the Ariane 5, the Proton-M, the Delta IV Heavy, and the Long March 5.^[2]

Heavy-lift rated launch vehicles

Rocket	In service	Manufacturer	Max. LEO payload	Heaviest launch
				…to LEO	…to GTO
Operational Those currently operational rockets have demonstrated heavy-lift capability to low Earth orbit.
Ariane 5 ECA and ES	since 2002	Airbus for ESA	21,000 kg (46,000 lb)[3]	20,293 kg (44,738 lb)[4] Georges Lemaître ATV July 29, 2014	10,865 kg (23,953 lb)[5] ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat 172B June 1, 2017
Delta IV Heavy[lower-alpha 1]	since 2004	ULA	28,790 kg (63,470 lb)[6]	Actual payloads flown are classified under the NRO launch program.
Proton-M	since 2001[lower-alpha 2]	Khrunichev	23,000 kg (51,000 lb)[7]	22,776 kg (50,212 lb)[8] Zvezda[lower-alpha 3] July 12, 2000	6,740 kg (14,860 lb)[9] ViaSat-1 October 19, 2011
Unproven The following rockets have not yet flown with a 20-tonne payload to LEO that would qualify them as an HLLV.
Angara A5	since 2014	Khrunichev	24,500 kg (54,000 lb)[10]	N/A	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)[11] Mass simulator December 23, 2014
Falcon 9 Full Thrust	since 2015	SpaceX	22,800 kg (50,300 lb)[12] (expendable version)[lower-alpha 4]	9,600 kg (21,200 lb)[13] Iridium NEXT × 10 January 14, 2017	6,070 kg (13,380 lb)[14] Inmarsat-5 F4 May 15, 2017
Long March 5 (CZ-5)	since 2016	CALT	25,000 kg (55,000 lb)[15]	N/A	4,000 kg (8,800 lb)[16] Shijian 17 November 3, 2016

Former HLLVs

The following HLLVs were formerly operational:

• Saturn IB, 1966 to 1975 (retired after 9 launches) Chrysler (S-IB), Douglas (S-IVB) Payload to LEO: 21,000 kg (46,000 lb) ^[17]
• Saturn V, 1967 to 1973 (retired after 13 launches) Payload to LEO:130,000 kg (290,000 lb) </ref>https://www.space.com/18422-apollo-saturn-v-moon-rocket-nasa-infographic.html.
• Proton-K 1967 to 2012 (retired after 311 launches) - Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center Payload to LEO: 19,760 kg (43,560 lb) (nominal), 22,776 kg (50,212 lb) (demonstrated with Zvezda) ^[18]
• Space Shuttle, 1981 to 2011 (retired after 135 launches) United Space Alliance, Thiokol/Alliant Techsystems (SRBs), Lockheed Martin/Martin Marietta (ET), Boeing/Rockwell (orbiter) Payload to LEO: 24,400 kg (53,800 lb) (cargo bay payload only) ^[19]
• Titan IV, 1989 to 2005 (retired after 39 launches) - Lockheed Martin Payload to LEO: 21,680 kg (47,800 lb) ^[20]

In development

Four HLLVs are currently being developed:

• Ariane 6 - European Space Agency Payload to LEO: Unknown^{[lower-alpha 1] [21]}
• Falcon Heavy in a partially reusable configuration^{[lower-alpha 2]} - SpaceX Payload to LEO: 32,640 kg (71,960 lb)-38,080 kg (83,950 lb) (estimated)^[22]
• New Glenn - Blue Origin Payload to LEO: 35,000 kg (77,000 lb)-70,000 kg (150,000 lb)^{[lower-alpha 3]} (estimated) ^[23]
• Vulcan - United Launch Alliance Payload to LEO: 36,000 kg (79,000 lb) (estimated) ^[24][25]

Earlier concepts

• (NASA's Ares I was in the planning stages when canceled in 2010)^[26] Payload to LEO: 25,400 kg (56,000 lb)

See also

• Sounding rocket, suborbital launch vehicle
• Small-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting up to 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit
• Medium-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting between 2,000 and 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb) of payload into Low Earth orbit
• Super heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of lifting more than 50,000 kg (110,000 lb) of payload into Low Earth orbit
• Comparison of orbital launch systems
• Comparison of orbital rocket engines
• Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
• Rocket
• Spacecraft propulsion

References

Further reading

• Mallove, Eugene F. and Matloff, Gregory L. The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer's Guide to Interstellar Travel, Wiley. ISBN 0-471-61912-4.