- Capability group
- Space Technologies
- Domain
- Critical Technology · Hard Power
- Identifier
- factbase.org/cap/CHMWBWW32W
- Reference
- Launch vehicle Wikipedia
Papers
1.7k
2020–2024
Paper growth
−23%
2020–24 on 2015–19
Patent families
4.5k
2020–2024
Filed abroad
13%
families in more than one office
What it covers
What the capability covers and what it leaves to others, and the indicators it will be measured by.
Bounds
Covers launch vehicle and reusability technology; spaceports and ranges belong to Strategic Infrastructure, assured access as an operational outcome to National Security's space group, and commercial launch position reads at the make and control layers.
Lineage
Relocated in v0.1 from the split group (formerly Space launch systems (including launch vehicles and supporting infrastructure)) at the same level, carrying its identifier; supporting infrastructure excised to Strategic Infrastructure, and the capability recast around the reusability frontier where position is now decided.
Indicators
- orbital launches per yearPending
- reusable launch systems in operationPending
- launch cost per kilogram achievedPending
Who publishes it
Papers classified to the capability, by year and by the nation of their authors' institutions, 2020–2024. Read from the v0.0 research topic Space launch systems (including launch vehicles and supporting infrastructure).
Papers by year
The five leading nations, papers by year
Share of papers, 2020–2024
Of papers with a known author nation; 43% have none and are left out.
- 1United States22.1%238 papers
- 2China16.4%177 papers
- 3Italy8.0%86 papers
- 4Germany6.6%71 papers
- 5India6.2%67 papers
- 6Russia5.2%56 papers
- 7France3.7%40 papers
- 8Japan3.5%38 papers
- 9United Kingdom3.4%37 papers
- 10South Korea2.3%25 papers
Leading institutions, 2020–2024
By fractional count: each paper divided among its authors' institutions.
- 1Marshall Space Flight Center24fractional papers
- 2Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)22fractional papers
- 3Northwestern Polytechnical University22fractional papers
- 4Beihang University18fractional papers
- 5China Academy of Space Technology15fractional papers
- 6Sapienza University of Rome14fractional papers
- 7Politecnico di Milano14fractional papers
- 8Polytechnic University of Turin13fractional papers
- 9University of Alabama in Huntsville12fractional papers
- 10Beijing Institute of Technology8fractional papers
Who patents it
Patent families by the nation of origin of their applicants and their earliest priority year, from the CPC and IPC classes the capability is read from. 2025 onwards is incomplete: families are published 18 months after priority.
Families by priority year
The five leading origins, families by year
861 applicants filed here in 2015–2024; the five largest held 14% of families (HHI 76 of 10,000: unconcentrated).
Share of families by origin, 2020–2024
- 1China72.0%3,208 families
- 2United States8.3%368 families
- 3South Korea5.8%258 families
- 4Japan2.6%115 families
- 5Russia2.5%111 families
- 6Germany1.9%86 families
- 7France1.5%67 families
- 8United Kingdom0.9%40 families
- 9Poland0.6%27 families
- 10Italy0.6%26 families
Applicants filing most internationally, 2015–2024
Families filed in more than one office, by applicant as the offices name them.
- 1ARIANEGROUP SAS102international families
- 2RAYTHEON CO43international families
- 3ARIANEGROUP GMBH38international families
- 4AEROJET ROCKETDYNE INC36international families
- 5AIRBUS SAFRAN LAUNCHERS SAS30international families
- 6BOEING CO30international families
- 7DEUTSCH ZENTR LUFT & RAUMFAHRT23international families
- 8MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD21international families
- 9CENTRE NAT ETD SPATIALES20international families
- 10AIRBUS DS GMBH18international families
Classification read
- B64G1/002 Space launch systems · 4.5k documents
- B64G1/14 Space shuttles and reusable spaceplanes · 1.5k documents
- B64G1/62 Re-entry, retarding and landing systems · 3.1k documents
- B64G5/00 Launch pads, towers and ground fuelling · 2k documents
- F02K9/00 Rocket engines · 54.2k documents
Shares inventions with
Capabilities whose classes the same families also fall in, by overlap (Jaccard).
- Advanced Propulsion & Hypersonic Systems917 families · 0.441
- Satellite & Constellation Technologies382 families · 0.037
- Energetic Materials57 families · 0.033
Who makes it
The companies that research, design, make, supply and operate the technology, the global leaders and the leading firms of every region.
50 companies in this capability, from 21 nations across 7 regions. Sorted by how experts see each company's global relevance in the field, from very high to very low.
- Very high7 companies
- 1Very highOperations & infrastructureStarbaseUnited States200213kPrivate
Builds and operates the reusable Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy with Merlin and Raptor engines and the fully reusable Starship, flying the large majority of the world's orbital launches.
Very high relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United States, Starbase · founded 2002 · 13k staff
- 2Very highSystems integrationBeijingChina1999180kState-owned
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)State prime for the Long March family (CZ-2/3/4/5/6/7/8/12) through CALT and SAST, China's main orbital launch provider and developer of reusable Long March variants.
Very high relevance · Systems integration · China, Beijing · founded 1999 · 180k staff
- 3Very highHardware & devicesLong BeachUnited States20062,100RKLB
Flies the Electron small launcher (with booster recovery trials) from New Zealand and the US and is developing the reusable medium-lift Neutron rocket and Archimedes engine.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Long Beach · founded 2006 · 2,100 staff
- 4Very highHardware & devicesKentUnited States2000–Private
Develops the reusable New Glenn heavy launcher and New Shepard suborbital vehicle and supplies BE-4 methane engines that power ULA's Vulcan.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Kent · founded 2000
- 5Very highOperations & infrastructureMoscowRussia2015–State-owned
State corporation whose enterprises (Progress RSC, Khrunichev, Energomash) build and launch Soyuz-2, Angara and Proton vehicles and RD-series engines.
Very high relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Russia, Moscow · founded 2015
- 6Very highHardware & devicesLes MureauxFrance20157,600Private
Airbus-Safran joint venture that is prime contractor for Ariane 6 and the Vulcain/Vinci engines, and parent of reusable-launcher venture MaiaSpace; the top patent applicant in this capability.
Very high relevance · Hardware & devices · France, Les Mureaux · founded 2015 · 7,600 staff
- 7Very highOperations & infrastructureCentennial, ColoradoUnited States2006–Private
Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture flying the Vulcan Centaur and Atlas V for US national-security and NASA missions.
Very high relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United States, Centennial, Colorado · founded 2006
- High7 companies
- 8HighSystems integrationFalls ChurchUnited States193997kNOC
Supplies GEM solid rocket boosters for Vulcan and the SLS five-segment boosters, and builds the Minotaur, Pegasus and Antares launch vehicles.
High relevance · Systems integration · United States, Falls Church · founded 1939 · 97k staff
- 9HighSystems integrationMelbourneUnited States189547kLHX
Owns Aerojet Rocketdyne (acquired 2023), maker of the RS-25 engines for SLS, the RL10 upper-stage engine and solid rocket motors.
High relevance · Systems integration · United States, Melbourne · founded 1895 · 47k staff
- 10HighHardware & devicesTokyoJapan188477k7011
Prime contractor and launch operator for Japan's H3 (successor to H-IIA) with the LE-9 expander-bleed engine, under JAXA.
High relevance · Hardware & devices · Japan, Tokyo · founded 1884 · 77k staff
- 11HighOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2015––
First company to reach orbit with a methane-fuelled rocket (Zhuque-2) and is developing the reusable stainless-steel Zhuque-3.
High relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2015
- 12HighSystems integrationBeijingChina1956–State-ownedChina Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC)
Through its subsidiary ExPace it builds the Kuaizhou solid-fuel rapid-response launch vehicles.
High relevance · Systems integration · China, Beijing · founded 1956
- 13HighHardware & devicesRomeItaly1908–AVIO
Prime contractor for the Vega-C launcher and supplier of the P120C solid motors used on both Vega-C and Ariane 6.
High relevance · Hardware & devices · Italy, Rome · founded 1908
- 14HighSystems integrationArlingtonUnited States1916172kBA
Builds the Space Launch System core stage and Exploration Upper Stage for NASA, and co-owns ULA.
High relevance · Systems integration · United States, Arlington · founded 1916 · 172k staff
- Moderate15 companies
- 15ModerateOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2018––
Flies the Ceres-1 solid small launcher at high cadence and is developing the reusable liquid-fuelled Pallas-1.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2018
- 16ModerateOperations & infrastructureBengaluruIndia2019–State-owned
ISRO's commercial arm, which markets and owns production contracts for the PSLV, LVM3 and SSLV launch vehicles.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · India, Bengaluru · founded 2019
- 17ModerateOperations & infrastructureCedar Park, TexasUnited States2017–FLY
Builds the Alpha small launcher and is co-developing the medium-lift Eclipse rocket with Northrop Grumman.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United States, Cedar Park, Texas · founded 2017
- 18ModerateHardware & devicesLong Beach, CaliforniaUnited States2015–Private
Developing the reusable medium-lift Terran R with Aeon R methane engines; controlled by Eric Schmidt since 2025.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Long Beach, California · founded 2015
- 19ModerateHardware & devicesKent, WashingtonUnited States2019––
Developing Nova, a rocket designed to be fully reusable, with an actively cooled reusable upper stage and a full-flow staged-combustion engine.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Kent, Washington · founded 2019
- 20ModerateOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2019––Space Pioneer (Beijing Tianbing Technology)
Reached orbit with the kerosene Tianlong-2 and is developing the reusable medium-lift Tianlong-3.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2019
- 21ModerateOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2016––i-Space (Beijing Interstellar Glory Space)
First Chinese private company to reach orbit (Hyperbola-1, 2019); it is developing the reusable Hyperbola-3 methane launcher.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2016
- 22ModerateOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2018–State-owned
Chinese Academy of Sciences spin-off flying the Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) solid launcher and developing the reusable Lijian-2.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2018
- 23ModerateOperations & infrastructureBeijingChina2020––
Launched Gravity-1, the most powerful solid-fuel rocket in the world at the time, from a sea platform in 2024, and is developing the liquid Gravity-2.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · China, Beijing · founded 2020
- 24ModerateHardware & devicesOttobrunnGermany2018––
Europe's best-funded launch startup; first flight of its Spectrum small launcher was from Andøya in 2025.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · Germany, Ottobrunn · founded 2018
- 25ModerateComponents & subsystemsTokyoJapan1853–7013
Its subsidiary IHI Aerospace builds the solid-fuel Epsilon launcher and the H3's solid rocket boosters and turbopumps.
Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · Japan, Tokyo · founded 1853
- 26ModerateHardware & devicesChangwonSouth Korea1977–012450
System integrator and engine maker for South Korea's Nuri (KSLV-II); it took over Nuri production and is co-developing the next-generation KSLV-III.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · South Korea, Changwon · founded 1977
- 27ModerateHardware & devicesLouisville, ColoradoUnited States2021–Private
Developing Dream Chaser, a reusable lifting-body spaceplane for cargo resupply of the ISS.
Moderate relevance · Hardware & devices · United States, Louisville, Colorado · founded 2021
- 28ModerateComponents & subsystemsBerthoudUnited States2015––
Independent rocket-engine maker (Hadley and Ripley liquid engines, plus solid motors) that supplies launch and hypersonic programmes.
Moderate relevance · Components & subsystems · United States, Berthoud · founded 2015
- 29ModerateOperations & infrastructureTustin, CaliforniaUnited States2004–SPCE
Operates the reusable air-launched suborbital spaceplane system (VSS Unity, now retired) and is building the Delta-class successor fleet.
Moderate relevance · Operations & infrastructure · United States, Tustin, California · founded 2004
- Low12 companies
- 30LowHardware & devicesAugsburgGermany2018––
Developing the RFA One small launcher with staged-combustion Helix engines; it is a finalist in the ESA European Launcher Challenge.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Germany, Augsburg · founded 2018
- 31LowOperations & infrastructureHyderabadIndia2018––
Flew India's first privately built rocket (Vikram-S, 2022) and is developing the Vikram-1 orbital launcher.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · India, Hyderabad · founded 2018
- 32LowHardware & devicesTaiki, HokkaidoJapan2013––
Flew Japan's first privately developed rocket to space (MOMO) and is developing the ZERO orbital launcher.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Japan, Taiki, Hokkaido · founded 2013
- 33LowOperations & infrastructureTokyoJapan2018–Private
Develops and operates the solid-fuel KAIROS small launcher from its own Spaceport Kii; backed by Canon Electronics and IHI Aerospace.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · Japan, Tokyo · founded 2018
- 34LowOperations & infrastructureSejongSouth Korea2017–462350
Korea's leading private launch developer, whose Hanbit hybrid-propulsion rockets are flown from Brazil's Alcântara launch centre.
Low relevance · Operations & infrastructure · South Korea, Sejong · founded 2017
- 35LowSystems integrationLodIsrael195315kState-owned
Israel Aerospace Industries (ELTA Systems)Builds the Shavit orbital launcher, which gives Israel independent launch of its Ofek reconnaissance satellites.
Low relevance · Systems integration · Israel, Lod · founded 1953 · 15k staff
- 36LowHardware & devicesBengaluruIndia1940–HAL
Makes stages and propellant tanks for ISRO launchers and, with L&T, won the industry contract to produce PSLVs.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · India, Bengaluru · founded 1940
- 37LowHardware & devicesChennaiIndia2017––
Flew Agnibaan SOrTeD in 2024 with the world's first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · India, Chennai · founded 2017
- 38LowHardware & devicesElcheSpain2011––
Flew the recoverable suborbital MIURA 1 in 2023 and is developing the partially reusable MIURA 5 orbital launcher.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Spain, Elche · founded 2011
- 39LowHardware & devicesGold CoastAustralia2012––
Australia's orbital launch developer; it launched the hybrid-propellant Eris rocket from Bowen, Queensland, in 2025.
Low relevance · Hardware & devices · Australia, Gold Coast · founded 2012
- 40LowDesignDniproUkraine1954–State-owned
Ukrainian state designer of the Zenit, Dnepr and Cyclone launchers, of the Antares first-stage structure, and of the RD-843 engine for Vega's upper stage.
Low relevance · Design · Ukraine, Dnipro · founded 1954
- 41LowComponents & subsystemsChristchurchNew Zealand2017––
Flies the Mk-II Aurora, a rocket-powered suborbital spaceplane designed to fly more than once a day, and makes green-propellant thrusters.
Low relevance · Components & subsystems · New Zealand, Christchurch · founded 2017
- Very low9 companies
- 42Very lowHardware & devicesAnkaraTürkiye1988–State-owned
Turkey's rocket and missile house, developing the national Micro Satellite Launch Vehicle and flying related sounding-rocket tests to space.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Türkiye, Ankara · founded 1988
- 43Very lowHardware & devicesForres, ScotlandUnited Kingdom2015––
Developing the bio-propane Prime microlauncher, with a reusable first stage, for launch from Scotland.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · United Kingdom, Forres, Scotland · founded 2015
- 44Very lowHardware & devicesHsinchuTaiwan2016––
TiSpace (Taiwan Innovative Space)Taiwan's main private launch developer, working on Hapith hybrid-propellant suborbital and orbital rockets.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Taiwan, Hsinchu · founded 2016
- 45Very lowHardware & devicesReimsFrance2019––
French microlauncher startup (formerly Venture Orbital Systems) developing the Zephyr rocket with 3D-printed Navier engines.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · France, Reims · founded 2019
- 46Very lowSystems integrationBuenos AiresArgentina––State-owned
VENG (Vehículo Espacial de Nueva Generación)Argentine state company and CONAE's contractor for the Tronador II / Tronador III launch vehicle programme.
Very low relevance · Systems integration · Argentina, Buenos Aires
- 47Very lowHardware & devicesSão José dos CamposBrazil1961–Private
Brazilian rocket maker of the Sonda/VS sounding-rocket heritage and solid motors tied to the VLM-1 microlauncher; it has been under judicial recovery since 2022.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Brazil, São José dos Campos · founded 1961
- 48Very lowHardware & devicesSingaporeSingapore2017––
Southeast Asia's only notable launch-vehicle developer; it is working on Dorado hybrid suborbital rockets and the Volans small launcher.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Singapore, Singapore · founded 2017
- 49Very lowHardware & devicesAnkaraTürkiye––State-owned
Turkish government-backed company that has flown SORS hybrid sounding rockets to space and is developing the hybrid propulsion for Turkey's lunar programme.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Türkiye, Ankara
- 50Very lowHardware & devicesGdyniaPoland2016––
Poland's launch developer; it flew the reusable bio-propane PERUN suborbital rocket in 2023.
Very low relevance · Hardware & devices · Poland, Gdynia · founded 2016
