# Small-lift launch vehicle

A small-lift launch vehicle is a rocket orbital launch vehicle that is capable of lifting 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb) or less (by NASA classification) or under 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb) (by Roscosmos classification) of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). The next larger category consists of medium-lift launch vehicles.
The first small-lift launch vehicle was the Sputnik rocket, launched by the Soviet Union, which was derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. On 4 October 1957, the Sputnik rocket was used to perform the world's first satellite launch, placing the Sputnik 1 satellite into a low Earth orbit. The US responded by attempting to launch the Vanguard rocket. However, the Vanguard TV3 launch attempt failed, with the 31 January 1958 launch of the Explorer 1 satellite using the Juno I rocket being the first successful US orbital launch. The Vanguard I mission was the second successful US orbital launch. This was the start of the space race.
Since the late 1950s, small-lift launch vehicles have continued launching payloads into orbits including LEO, Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), and geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Medium-lift launch vehicles, heavy-lift launch vehicles, and super heavy-lift launch vehicles have also been extensively developed but have not completely superseded small launch vehicles. Small launch vehicles can meet the requirements of some spacecraft, and can also be less expensive than a larger launch vehicle would be.

## Rated launch vehicles
### Operational

| Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Mass to other orbits (kg) | Launches | First flight |
| Qased | Iran | IRGCASF | 10−50 | | 3 | 2020 |
| Qaem 100 | Iran | IRGC | 80 | | 3(+1) | 2023 |
| SK solid fueled TV2 | Republic of Korea | MND | >100 | | 1 | 2023 |
| Shavit 2 | Israel | IAE | 160 | | 12 | 1988 |
| Unha | North Korea | KCST | 200 | | 4 | 2009 |
| KAIROS | Japan | Space One | 250 | 150 to SSO | 1 | 2024 |
| Electron | New Zealand United States | Rocket Lab | 300 | 200 to SSO | 62 | 2017 |
| Jielong 1 | China | CALT | | 200 to SSO | 1 | 2019 |
| Hyperbola-1 | China | i-Space | 300 | | 6 | 2020 |
| Chollima-1 | North Korea | NADA | ≥300 | | 3 | 2023 |
| Simorgh | Iran | Iranian Space Agency | 350 | | 6(+1) | 2016 |
| Ceres-1 | China | Galactic Energy | 350 | | 11 | 2020 |
| Kuaizhou-1 | China | CASC | 400 | 250 to SSO | 28 | 2013 |
| SSLV | India | ISRO / NSIL | 500 | 300 to SSO | 2 | 2022 |
| Start-1 | Russia | MITT | 532 | 350 to SSO | 5 | 1993 |
| Minotaur I | United States | Northrop Grumman | 580 | | 12 | 2000 |
| Long March 6 | China | CALT | | 500 to SSO | 11 | 2015 |
| Long March 11 | China | CALT | 700 | | 17 | 2015 |
| Alpha | United States | Firefly | 1,000 | 600 to SSO | 5 | 2021 |
| Epsilon | Japan | IHI | 1,200 | | 5 | 2013 |
| RS1 | United States | ABL | 1,350 | 400 to GTO | 1 | 2023 |
| Strela | Russia | Khrunichev | 1,400 | | 3 | 2003 |
| Minotaur-C | United States | Northrop Grumman | 1,450 | 1,050 to SSO | 10 | 1994 |
| Kuaizhou-11 | China | CASC | 1,500 | 1,000 to SSO | 2 | |
| SK solid fueled LV | Republic of Korea | MND | 1,500 | | 1(+2) | 2023 |
| Minotaur IV | United States | Northrop Grumman | 1,735 | | 7 | 2010 |
| Kinetica 1 | China | CAS Space | 2,000 | 1,500 to SSO | 3 | 2022 |
| Tianlong-2 | China | Space Pioneer | 2,000 | 1,500 to SSO | 1 | 2023 |
| Jielong 3 | China | CALT | | 1,500 to SSO | 3 | 2022 |
| OS-M | China | OneSpace | 205 | 73 to SSO | 1 | 2019 |

### Under development

| Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Mass to other orbits (kg) | First flight (expected) |
| Blue Whale 1 | South Korea | Perigee Aerospace | 63 | 50 to SSO | 2025 |
| HANBIT-NANO | South Korea | Innospace | 90 | | 2025 |
| Agnibaan | India | Agnikul Cosmos | 100 | | 2022 |
| ZERO | Japan | Interstellar Technologies | | 100 to SSO | 2023 |
| Chetak | India | Bellatrix Aerospace | 150 | | 2023 |
| VLM | Brazil | Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology | 150 | | 2027 |
| Haribon SLS-1 | Philippines | OrbitX | 200 | | 2023 |
| DNLV | Malaysia | Independence-X Aerospace | 200 | | 2023 |
| Volans | Singapore | Equatorial Space Systems | 220 | 150 to SSO | 2023 |
| Zuljanah | Iran | Iranian Space Agency | 220 | | 2021 |
| Vikram 1 | India | Skyroot Aerospace | 315 | 255 to SSO | 2023 |
| Skyrora XL | United Kingdom | Skyrora | 315 | | 2023 |
| Hapith V | Taiwan | TiSPACE | 390 | 350 to SSO | |
| Vikram II | India | Skyroot Aerospace | 520 | 410 to SSO | TBD |
| Rocket 4 | United States | Astra Space, Inc. | 600 | | 2023 |
| Vikram III | India | Skyroot Aerospace | 720 | 580 to SSO | TBD |
| Tronador II | Argentina | CONAE | 750 | | 2029 |
| Miura 5 | Spain | PLD Space | 900 | | 2024 |
| Spectrum | Germany | Isar Aerospace | 1,000 | 700 to SSO | 2023 |
| Hyperbola-2 | China | i-Space | 1,900 | | |

### Retired

| Vehicle | Origin | Manufacturer | Mass to LEO (kg) | Mass to other orbits (kg) | Launches | First flight | Last flight |
| SS-520 | Japan | IHI | 4 | | 2 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Vanguard | United States | Martin | 9 | | 11(+1) | 1957 | 1959 |
| Juno I | United States | Chrysler | 11 | | 6 | 1958 | 1959 |
| Veloce 17 | United States | Eldorado Space | 12 | | 0 | | |
| Lambda 4S | Japan | Nissan | 26 | | 5 | 1966 | 1977 |
| SLV | India | ISRO | 40 | | 4 | 1979 | 1983 |
| Juno II | United States | Chrysler | 41 | | 10 | 1958 | 1961 |
| Boeing Small Launch Vehicle | United States | Boeing | 45 | | 0 | | |
| Rocket 3 | United States | Astra | 45 | | 7(+2) | 2020 | 2022 |
| Safir | Iran | Iranian Space Agency | 50 | | 8 | 2008 | 2019 |
| Vector-R | United States | Vector | 60 | | 0(+2) | | |
| Diamant | France | SEREB | 107 | | 12 | 1965 | 1975 |
| Vector-H | United States | Vector | 110 | | 0 | | |
| Capricornio | Spain | INTA | 140 | | 0 | | |
| ASLV | India | ISRO | 150 | | 4 | 1987 | 1994 |
| Scout | United States | US Air Force/NASA | 174 | | 125 | 1961 | 1994 |
| Mu-4S | Japan | Nissan | 180 | | 4 | 1971 | 1972 |
| Mu-3C | Japan | Nissan | 195 | | 4 | 1974 | 1979 |
| Shtil' | Russia | Makeyev | 280 – 420 | | 2 | 1998 | 2006 |
| Mu-3H | Japan | Nissan | 300 | | 3 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Mu-3S | Japan | Nissan | 300 | | 4 | 1980 | 1984 |
| Long March 1 | China | CALT | 300 | | 2 | 1970 | 1971 |
| Zhuque-1 | China | LandSpace | 300 | 200 to SSO | 1 | 2018 | 2018 |
| Delta 1913 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 328 | | 1 | 1973 | 1973 |
| Delta 2310 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 336 | | 3 | 1974 | 1981 |
| Delta 1410 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 340 | | 1 | 1975 | 1975 |
| VLS-1 | Brazil | AEB, INPE | 380 | | 2 | 1997 | 2003 |
| Delta 1604 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 390 | | 2 | 1972 | 1973 |
| Falcon 1 | United States | SpaceX | 420 | | 5 | 2006 | 2009 |
| Pegasus | United States | Orbital | 443 | | 45 | 1990 | 2021 |
| Conestoga | United States | Space Services Inc. | 500 | | 3 | 1982 | 1995 |
| Sputnik 8K71PS | Soviet Union | RSC Energia | 500 | | 2 | 1957 | 1957 |
| Launcher One | United States | Virgin Orbit | 500 | 300 to SSO | 6 | 2020 | |
| Paektusan | North Korea | KCST | 700 | | 1 | 1998 | |
| Long March 1D (CZ-1D) | China | CALT | 740 | | 0(+3) | 1995 | 2002 |
| Mu-3SII | Japan | Nissan | 770 | | 8 | 1985 | 1995 |
| Athena I | United States | Lockheed Martin | 795 | 515 to GTO | 4 | 1995 | 2001 |
| Delta 3913 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 816 | | 1 | 1981 | 1981 |
| J-I | Japan | IHI, Nissan | 1,000 | | 0(+1) | 1996 | 1996 |
| Delta 1910 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 1,066 | | 1 | 1975 | 1975 |
| N-I | Japan United States | Mitsubishi | 1,200 | | 7 | 1975 | 1982 |
| Terran 1 | United States | Relativity Space | 1,250 | | 1 | 2023 | 2023 |
| Delta 0900 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 1,300 | 818 to SSO | 2 | 1972 | 1972 |
| Sputnik 8A91 | Soviet Union | RSC Energia | 1,327 | | 2 | 1958 | 1958 |
| Atlas LV-3B | United States | Convair | 1,360 | | 9 | 1960 | 1963 |
| H-I | Japan United States | Mitsubishi | 1,400 | | 9 | 1986 | 1992 |
| Kosmos-3M | Soviet Union Russia | NPO Polyot | 1,500 | | 442 | 1967 | 2010 |
| M-V | Japan | IHI, Nissan | 1,800 | | 7 | 1997 | 2006 |
| Athena II | United States | Lockheed Martin | 1,800 | | 3 | 1998 | 1999 |
| Delta 1900 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 1,800 | | 1 | 1973 | 1973 |
| Delta 2910 | United States | McDonnell Douglas | 1,887 | | 6 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Rokot | Soviet Union Russia | Khrunichev | 1,950 | 1,200 to SSO | 34 | 1990 | 2019 |
| Vega | Italy Europe | Avio | | 1,450 to SSO | 22 | 2012 | 2024 |