Small-lift launch vehicle
A small-lift launch vehicle is a rocket orbital launch vehicle that is capable of lifting up to of payload into low Earth orbit. The next larger category consists of medium-lift launch vehicles.
The first small-lift launch vehicle was the Sputnik rocket, which was derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM of the Soviet Union. On 4 October 1957, the rocket was used to perform the world's first satellite launch, placing Sputnik 1 satellite into a low Earth orbit.
The USA responded by attempting to launch the Vanguard rocket. However, the Vanguard TV3 launch failed, with the 3 January 1958 launch of the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno I rocket the first successful US orbital launch. Vanguard I was the second successful U.S. orbital launch. This was the start of the space race.
Since the late 1950s, small-lift launch vehicles have continued launching payloads to space. Medium-lift launch vehicles, heavy-lift launch vehicles, and super heavy-lift launch vehicles have also been extensively developed but have not completely superseded the small vehicles. Small vehicles can meet the requirements of some spacecraft, and can be less expensive than larger vehicles.
Rated launch vehicles
| Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO | Mass to other orbits | Launches | Status | First flight | Last flight | Mission cost |
| SS-520 | IHI | 4 | 2 | Operational | 2017 | - | |||
| Vanguard | Martin | 9 | 11 | Retired | 1957 | 1959 | $4.4M | ||
| Veloce 17 | Eldorado Space | 12 | 0 | Development | - | ||||
| Lambda 4S | Nissan Motors | 26 | 5 | Retired | 1966 | 1977 | - | ||
| SLV | ISRO | 40 | 4 | Retired | 1979 | 1983 | - | ||
| Safir | Iranian Space Agency | 50 | 6+1 | Operational | 2008 | - | |||
| Vector-R | Vector Space Systems | 60 | 0 | Defunct | - | ||||
| Blue Whale 1 | Perigee Aerospace | 63 | 50 to SSO | 0 | Development | - | |||
| Black Arrow | RAE | 73 | 4 | Retired | 1969 | 1971 | - | ||
| Miura 1 | PLD Space | 100 | 0 | Development | - | ||||
| Simorgh | Iranian Space Agency | 100-350 | 1 | Operational | 2016 | - | |||
| Naro-1 | KARI/Khrunichev | 100 | 3 | Retired | 2009 | 2013 | - | ||
| Volna | Makeyev | 100 | 1 | Retired | 1995 | 2005 | - | ||
| Kaituozhe-1 | CALT | 100 | 2 | Retired | 2002 | 2003 | - | ||
| Diamant | SEREB | 107 | 12 | Retired | 1965 | 1975 | - | ||
| Vector-H | Vector Space Systems | 110 | 0 | Defunct | - | ||||
| Miura 5 | PLD Space | 150 | 0 | Development | - | ||||
| ASLV | ISRO | 150 | 4 | Retired | 1987 | 1994 | - | ||
| Shavit | IAE | 160 | 10 | Operational | 1988 | - | |||
| Scout | US Air Force/NASA | 174 | 125 | Retired | 1961 | 1994 | - | ||
| Mu-4S | Nissan Motors | 180 | 4 | Retired | 1971 | 1972 | - | ||
| Mu-3C | Nissan Motors | 195 | 4 | Retired | 1974 | 1979 | - | ||
| Unha | KCST | 200 | 3 | Operational | 2009 | - | |||
| ZERO | Interstellar Technologies | 100 to SSO | 0 | Development | |||||
| Electron | Rocket Lab | 231 | 225 to SSO | 9 | Operational | 2017 | $7.5M | ||
| Tronador II | CONAE | 250 | 0 | Development | 2020 | - | |||
| Shtil' | Makeyev | 280 – 420 | 2 | Retired | 1998 | 2006 | - | ||
| Mu-3H | Nissan Motors | 300 | 3 | Retired | 1977 | 1978 | - | ||
| Mu-3S | Nissan Motors | 300 | 4 | Retired | 1980 | 1984 | - | ||
| Long March 1 | CALT | 300 | 2 | Retired | 1970 | 1971 | - | ||
| Delta 1913 | McDonnell Douglas | 328 | 1 | Retired | 1973 | 1973 | - | ||
| Delta 2310 | McDonnell Douglas | 336 | 3 | Retired | 1974 | 1981 | - | ||
| Delta 1410 | McDonnell Douglas | 340 | 1 | Retired | 1975 | 1975 | - | ||
| VLS-1 | AEB, INPE | 380 | 2 | Retired | 1997 | 2003 | - | ||
| Delta 1604 | McDonnell Douglas | 390 | 2 | Retired | 1972 | 1973 | - | ||
| Hapith V | TiSPACE | 390 | 350 to SSO | 0 | Development | - | |||
| Kuaizhou-1 | CASC | 400 | 3 | Operational | 2013 | - | |||
| Falcon 1 | SpaceX | 420 | 5 | Retired | 2006 | 2009 | - | ||
| Pegasus | Orbital | 443 | 43 | Operational | 1990 | $56M | |||
| Sputnik 8K71PS | RSC Energia | 500 | 2 | Retired | 1957 | 1957 | - | ||
| Launcher One | Virgin Orbit | 500 | 300 to SSO | 1 | Development | $12M | |||
| SSLV | ISRO / NewSpace India Ltd | 500 | 300 to SSO | 0 | Development | - | |||
| Start-1 | MITT | 532 | 350 to SSO | 5 | Operational | 1993 | - | ||
| Minotaur I | Orbital | 580 | 11 | Operational | 2000 | $28.8M | |||
| Long March 6 | CALT | 500 to SSO | 2 | Operational | 2015 | - | |||
| Long March 11 | CALT | 700 | 3 | Operational | 2015 | - | |||
| Paektusan | KCST | 700 | 1 | Retired | 1998 | - | |||
| Long March 1D | CALT | 740 | 0 | Retired | 1995 | 2002 | - | ||
| Mu-3SII | Nissan Motors | 770 | 8 | Retired | 1985 | 1995 | - | ||
| Athena I | Lockheed Martin | 795 | 515 to GTO | 4 | Retired | 1995 | 2001 | $17M | |
| Delta 3913 | McDonnell Douglas | 816 | 1 | Retired | 1981 | 1981 | - | ||
| Alpha | Firefly Aerospace | 1000 | 600 to SSO | 0 | Development | $15M | |||
| J-I | IHI Corporation Nissan Motors | 1000 | 0 | Retired | 1996 | 1996 | - | ||
| Delta 1910 | McDonnell Douglas | 1066 | 1 | Retired | 1975 | 1975 | - | ||
| Terran 1 | Relativity Space | 1250 | 1 | Developement | $10M | ||||
| N-I | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 1200 | 7 | Retired | 1975 | 1982 | - | ||
| Epsilon | IHI Aerospace | 1200 | 4 | Operational | 2013 | $38M | |||
| Delta 0900 | McDonnell Douglas | 1300 | 818 to SSO | 2 | Retired | 1972 | 1972 | - | |
| Sputnik 8A91 | RSC Energia | 1327 | 2 | Retired | 1958 | 1958 | - | ||
| Strela | Khrunichev | 1400 | 3 | Operational | 2003 | - | |||
| H-I | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 1400 | 9 | Retired | 1986 | 1992 | - | ||
| Minotaur-C | Orbital | 1450 | to SSO | 10 | Operational | 1994 | $45M | ||
| Kosmos-3M | NPO Polyot | 1500 | 442 | Retired | 1967 | 2010 | - | ||
| Kuaizhou-11 | CASC | 1500 | 0 | Development | - | ||||
| Minotaur IV | Orbital | 1735 | 4 | Operational | 2010 | $50M | |||
| M-V | Nissan Motors :ja:IHIエアロスペース|IHI AEROSPACE | 1800 – 1,850 | 7 | Retired | 1997 | 2006 | - | ||
| Athena II | Lockheed Martin | 1800 | 3 | Retired | 1998 | 1999 | $46M | ||
| Delta 1900 | McDonnell Douglas | 1800 | 1 | Retired | 1973 | 1973 | - | ||
| Delta 2910 | McDonnell Douglas | 1887 | 6 | Retired | 1975 | 1978 | - | ||
| Rokot | Khrunichev | 1950 | 1200 to SSO | 34 | Retired | 1990 | 2019 | - | |
| Vega | Avio | 1450 to SSO | 15 | Operational | 2012 | $37M |