# Comparison of solid-fuelled orbital launch systems

This article contains the lift launch systems constructed by some solid fuel stages except the final stage.

## All stages solid fueled

| Vehicle | Stage number | Origin | Manufacturer | Height (meter) | Diameter (meter) | Weight (ton) | Mass to LEO (kg) | Mass to Other Orbit (kg) | Maiden flight | Retired | Record | Status |
| ASLV | 5 | India | ISRO | 24 | 1 | 41 | 150 | | 1987 | 1994 | 2/4 | Retired |
| Epsilon (without PBS) | 3 | Japan | IHI AeroSpace | 24.4 | 2.6 | 90.8 | | | 2016 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| J-I | 2(+1) | Japan | NASDA / ISAS | 33.1 | 1.8 | 88.5 | 1000 | | 1996 | 1996 | 1/1* | Retired |
| Kaituozhe-1 | 4 | China | CASIC | 13.6 | 1.4 | | | SSO: 50 | 2002 | ? | 0/2 | ? |
| Kaituozhe-2 | | China | CASIC | | | | | | 2017 | | 1/1 | Active |
| Kuaizhou-11 | 4 | China | CASIC | ? | 2.2 | 78 | 1500 | SSO: 1000@700 km | 2017 | - | - | Development |
| L-4S | 4 | Japan | Tokyo univ. | 16.5 | 0.735 | 9.4 | 26 | | 1966 | 1970 | 1/5 | Retired |
| Minotaur I | 4 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 19.2 | 1.67 | 36.2 | 580 | SSO: 331 | 2000 | - | 11/11 | Active |
| Minotaur IV Lite | 3 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 23.88 | 2.34 | 86.3 | - | | 2010 | - | 2/2* | Active |
| Minotaur IV | 4 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 23.88 | 2.34 | 86.3 | 1735 | | 2010 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| Minotaur IV+ | 4 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 23.88 | 2.34 | 86.3 | 1985 | | 2011 | | 1/1 | Active |
| Minotaur IV/Orion 38 | 4 | United States | Orbital Sciences | | | | | | 2017 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| Minotaur V | 5 | United States | Orbital Sciences | | 1.67 | | | GTO:640 TLI:447 | 2013 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| M-3C | 3 | Japan | Tokyo univ. | 20.2 | 1.41 | 41.8 | 195 | | 1974 | 1979 | 3/4 | Retired |
| M-3H | 3 | Japan | Tokyo univ. | 23.8 | 1.41 | 48.7 | 300 | | 1977 | 1978 | 3/3 | Retired |
| M-3S | 3 | Japan | Tokyo univ. | 23.8 | 1.41 | 48.7 | 300 | | 1980 | 1984 | 4/4 | Retired |
| M-3SII | 3(+1) | Japan | ISAS | 27.8 | 1.41 | 61 | 770 | | 1985 | 1995 | 7/8 | Retired |
| M-4S | 4 | Japan | Tokyo univ. | 23.6 | 1.41 | 43.6 | 180 | | 1970 | 1972 | 3/4 | Retired |
| M-V | 3(+1) | Japan | ISAS | 30.8 | 2.5 | 140 | 1850 | Interplanetary: 500 | 1997 | 2006 | 6/7 | Retired |
| Pegasus | 3 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 16.9 | 1.27 | 18.5 | 375 | | 1990 | | 10/11 | ? |
| Pegasus XL | 3 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 17.6 | 1.27 | 23.13 | 443 | | 1994 | - | 29/32 | Active |
| Qaem 100 | 3 | Iran | IRGC | | | | 80 | | 2022 | - | 2/3 | Active |
| Scout | 4 | United States | NACA | 23 | 1.01 | 21.5 | | | 1961 | 1994 | | Retired |
| Scout-A | 4 | United States | NACA | 25 | 1.01 | 17.85 | | | 1965 | 1970 | | Retired |
| Shavit | 3 | Israel | IAI | 15.3 | 1.352 | 23.2 | 160 | | 1988 | 1990 | 2/2 | Retired |
| Shavit1 (LK-A) | 3 | Israel | IAI | 17.2 | 1.352 | 27.3 | 240 | | 1995 | 2004 | 2/4 | Retired |
| Shavit2 (LK-1) | 3 | Israel | IAI | 19.5 | 1.352 | 31.2 | 350 | | 2007 | - | 4/4 | Active |
| SLV | 4 | India | ISRO | 22 | 1 | 17 | 40 | | 1979 | 1983 | 3/4 | Retired |
| RPS-420 | 4 | Indonesia | LAPAN | 9.5 | 0.42 | | 50 | | (2014) | - | 0/0 | Development |
| SPARK (Super Strypi) | 3 | United States | Hawaii, Sandia, Aerojet Rocketdyne | | | | | SSO: 250 | 2015 | - | 0/1 | Active |
| SS-520(3-stage) | 3 | Japan | ISAS/JAXA | 9.54 | 0.52 | 2.6 | 4 | - | 2017 | - | 1/2 | Active |
| Start-1 | 4 | Russia | MIT | 22.7 | 1.61 | 47.2 | 532 | SSO: 167 | 1993 | - | 6/6 | Active |
| Taiwan SLV | 4 | Republic of China | NSPO | | | | 50 | | - | - | 0/0 | Development |
| Taurus | 3+1 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 27 | 2.35 | 69 | 1259 | SSO: 889 | 1994 | - | 5/6 | ? |
| Taurus XL Minotaur-C | 3+1 | United States | Orbital Sciences | 32 | 2.35 | 77 | 1458 | SSO: 1054 | 2004 | - | 2/4 | Active |
| VLS-1 | 4 | Brazil | AEB, DCTA-IAE, Avibrás | 19.5 | 1.01 | 50.7 | 380 | | 1997 | 2016 | 0/3 | Retired |
| VLM-1 | 3 | Brazil/ Germany | AEB, DCTA-IAE, Avibrás, DLR | 19.6 | 1.45 | 28 | 30 | - | 2025 | - | 0/0 | Development |
    * Including suborbital mission

## All stages solid fueled except uppermost stage

| Vehicle | Main stages | Main stages | Origin | Manufacturer | Height (meter) | Diameter (meter) | Weight (ton) | Mass to... (kg) | Mass to... (kg) | Maiden flight | Retired | Record | Status |
| Vehicle | Solid | Liquid | Origin | Manufacturer | Height (meter) | Diameter (meter) | Weight (ton) | LEO | Other orbit | Maiden flight | Retired | Record | Status |
| Ares I | 1 | 1 | United States | Alliant Techsystems / Boeing | 94 | 5.5 | | 25000 | | (2015) | | 0/0 | Cancelled |
| Athena I | 2 | 1 | United States | Lockheed Martin | | | | | | 1995 | 2001 | 3/4 | Retired |
| Athena Ic | 2 | 1 | United States | Lockheed Martin Alliant Techsystems | | | | | | (2012) | | 0/0 | Development |
| Athena II | 3 | 1 | United States | Lockheed Martin | 30.5 | 2.36 | 120.2 | 1896 | | 1998 | 1999 | 2/3 | Retired |
| Athena IIc | 3 | 1 | United States | Lockheed Martin Alliant Techsystems | | | | | | (2012) | | 0/0 | Development |
| Epsilon PBS | 3 | 1 | Japan | IHI AeroSpace | 24.4 | 2.6 | 90.8 | | | 2013 | - | 3/4 | Active |
| Hyperbola-1 | 3 | 1 | China | i-Space | 20 | | 31 | 300 | | 2019 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| Kuaizhou-1 | 3 | 1 | China | CASIC | 18 | 1.4 | 32 | ~300 | SSO: 430@500 km | 2013 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| Kuaizhou-1A | 3 | 1 | China | CASIC | | 1.4 | 30 | ~300 | SSO: 200@700 km | 2014 | - | 2/2 | Active |
| Long March 11 | 3 | 1 | China | | | | | | | 2015 | - | 7/7 | Active |
| Minotaur IV HAPS | | | United States | Orbital Sciences | 23.88 | 2.34 | 86.3 | | | 2010 | - | 1/1 | Active |
| Vega | 3 | 1 | European Union | ESA / ISA | 30 | 3 | 137 | 2000(?) | SSO: 1500 | 2012 | 2024 | 20/22 | Retired |
| Vega-C | 3 | 1 | European Union | ESA / ISA | 35 | 3.4 | | | | 2022 | - | 1/2 | Active |
| Zuljanah | 2 | 1 | Iran | MODAFL | 25.5 | 1.5 | 52 | 220 | | | - | 0/0 | Development |