The Space Race.

Orbital hardware, by the numbers.

22 launch vehicles · 14 spacecraft & landers · 20 operators — every number sourced.

Snapshot · verified 19h ago · 2026-06-17

Reading the metrics

Spec sheets lie if you don't read the footnotes. Each axis, what it means, and where it bites:

Payload to LEO ↑ better: Maximum payload mass deliverable to low Earth orbit (~200–400 km circular), in the vehicle's stated reference configuration.; Expendable configs deliver ~20–40% more than reusable. Compare like-for-like (both expendable or both reusable).
Payload to GTO ↑ better: Maximum payload mass deliverable to geostationary transfer orbit (~185 × 35,786 km), in the stated reference config.; GTO definition varies by inclination and perigee; payload figures are not always comparable across operators.
Liftoff Thrust ↑ better: Total first-stage thrust at liftoff (sea-level), in kilonewtons, summing all active engines and solid strap-ons.
Liftoff Mass ↓ better: Total vehicle mass at liftoff including propellant, payload, and all stages, in metric tonnes.; Lower is better only in the context of per-unit cost. Raw mass is not a performance metric.
Vehicle Height ↓ better: Full stack height at liftoff, in metres, including fairing or spacecraft.
Launch Cost ↓ better: Publicly stated or estimated list price per launch, in millions of USD.; Lower is better. List prices rarely match as-flown contract prices. Reuse mode, trajectory, and mission profile all shift cost.
Cost per kg to LEO ↓ better: Derived cost efficiency: launch list price divided by payload-to-LEO capacity, in USD per kilogram.; Lower is better. Derived from list price ÷ payload; not an as-flown average.
Max Booster Reflights ↑ better: Maximum number of times a single booster unit has flown, as of the verifiedAt date.; This is the fleet maximum, not the average. Most boosters fly far fewer missions.
Mission Success Rate ↑ better: Percentage of launch attempts rated as full mission successes over the vehicle's complete flight history.; Partial failures and abort-to-orbit outcomes are scored differently across sources. New vehicles carry wide confidence intervals.
Launches in 2025 ↑ better: Total number of launch attempts conducted in calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 – Dec 31 UTC).; Counts include failures and partial failures unless stated otherwise.
Technology Readiness Level ↑ better: NASA-scale 1–9 maturity rating: 9 = mission-proven operational system; 6–8 = demonstration / qualification; 1–5 = R&D.; Self-reported or analyst-assigned TRL values vary; treat as indicative, not authoritative.
Crew Capacity ↑ better: Maximum number of crew members the vehicle can carry on a nominal mission.; Design max may differ from operational mission complement (e.g. ISS missions often fly 4 of 7 seats).
Cargo Upmass ↑ better: Maximum pressurized + unpressurized cargo delivered to station orbit (upmass), in kg.; Mix of pressurized and unpressurized mass varies by mission manifest.
Pressurized Volume ↑ better: Total internal pressurized volume of the spacecraft in cubic metres.

Launch vehicles · 22

Orbital-class launch vehicles sorted by payload to LEO.

Vehicle	LEO	GTO	Thrust	$/kg LEO	Reuse	Success	2025 launches
Starship / Super HeavySpaceX · in-development	100,000 kg	—	80800 kN	—	—	—	—
Falcon HeavySpaceX · operational	63,800 kg	26,700 kg	22819 kN	—	—	100%	0
New GlennBlue Origin · operational	45,000 kg	13,000 kg	17100 kN	—	—	—	2
Vulcan CentaurUnited Launch Alliance · operational	27,200 kg	14,500 kg	17056 kN	—	—	—	1
Long March 5CASC · operational	25,000 kg	14,000 kg	10573 kN	—	—	—	3
Angara A5Khrunichev / Roscosmos · operational	24,500 kg	5,400 kg	9610 kN	—	—	—	1
Terran RRelativity Space · in-development	23,500 kg	—	15555 kN	—	—	—	—
Falcon 9 Block 5SpaceX · operational	22,800 kg	8,300 kg	7607 kN	$3,246/kg	35 flights	99.8%	165
Ariane 6ArianeGroup / Arianespace · operational	21,650 kg	11,500 kg	15370 kN	—	—	—	4
H3JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · operational	16,000 kg	6,500 kg	4413 kN	—	—	83.3%	3
Long March 7CASC · operational	13,500 kg	4,000 kg	7200 kN	—	—	—	1
NeutronRocket Lab · in-development	13,000 kg	—	6603 kN	—	—	—	—
Atlas VUnited Launch Alliance · retired	12,500 kg	6,480 kg	—	—	—	99.5%	—
Long March 3BCASC · operational	11,500 kg	5,500 kg	5922 kN	—	—	95.7%	5
LVM3 (GSLV Mk III)ISRO / NSIL · operational	10,000 kg	4,000 kg	11898 kN	—	—	100%	1
Long March 2FCASC · operational	8,400 kg	—	3265 kN	—	—	—	2
Soyuz-2Roscosmos / Progress Rocket Space Centre · operational	8,250 kg	—	4317 kN	—	—	98.3%	—
Long March 6ACASC · operational	8,000 kg	—	4828 kN	—	—	—	2
Vega-CAvio / Arianespace · operational	2,300 kg	—	4323 kN	—	—	—	—
PSLVISRO · operational	1,750 kg	—	4800 kN	—	—	—	1
Firefly AlphaFirefly Aerospace · operational	1,030 kg	—	836 kN	$14,563/kg	—	57.1%	1
ElectronRocket Lab · operational	300 kg	—	190 kN	$25,000/kg	—	95.5%	21

Crew spacecraft · 7

Crewed orbital vehicles sorted by crew capacity.

Vehicle	Crew	Volume	Cargo Up
MengzhouCASC / CMSA · in-development	6 seats	—	—
Crew Dragon (Dragon 2)SpaceX · operational	4 seats	9.3 m³	6,000 kg
Orion MPCVNASA / Lockheed Martin · operational	4 seats	19.6 m³	—
Boeing Starliner (CST-100)Boeing · in-development	4 seats	11 m³	—
Soyuz MSRoscosmos / RSC Energia · operational	3 seats	9 m³	170 kg
ShenzhouCASC / CMSA · operational	3 seats	14 m³	300 kg
GaganyaanISRO · in-development	3 seats	—	—

Cargo spacecraft · 5

Uncrewed cargo freighters sorted by upmass capacity.

Vehicle	Cargo Up	Volume
TianzhouCASC / CMSA · operational	7,400 kg	18.1 m³
Cargo Dragon (Dragon 2 Cargo)SpaceX · operational	6,000 kg	9.3 m³
Cygnus XLNorthrop Grumman · operational	5,000 kg	36 m³
Dream Chaser (Tenacity)Sierra Space · in-development	3,629 kg	33 m³
Progress MSRoscosmos / RSC Energia · operational	2,600 kg	—

Landers · 2

Lunar and planetary landers sorted by name.

Vehicle	Crew	Cargo Up
Blue Moon Mk1Blue Origin · in-development	—	3,000 kg
Starship HLSSpaceX · in-development	2 seats	—

Method

A hand-curated snapshot verified 2026-06-17. Launch manifest data and success rates sourced from The Space Devs Launch Library 2, NextSpaceFlight, and OrbitalRadar. Payload and propulsion specs cross-referenced against NASA NTRS and manufacturer user guides. Cost figures are publicly stated list prices — not as-flown contract values.

Every number on this page carries a source link — click any cell. Where a vehicle hasn't published a value, the cell reads "—" rather than a guess. Subsystem detail and program roadmaps arrive in the next pass (Phase 3). The model writes none of these figures; the catalog does.