Selected Rocket References

Compare missions, not just headline numbers

A payload figure only makes sense with its destination orbit and vehicle configuration. LEO means low Earth orbit; GTO is a transfer orbit used on the way to geostationary orbit. A launcher’s capacity for one is not interchangeable with its capacity for the other.

Recovery plans also matter: reserving propellant for a booster landing can change the payload capability. The figures here are published reference values, not predictions of the cargo carried by the next launch.

We do not publish cumulative launch counts or success percentages without a maintained flight record and a stated counting method. Test flights, partial successes and pre-launch losses make unsourced comparisons misleading.