A new era of exploration is beginning where space is being opened up to private citizens.
Here’s a look at some of the rockets in operation and others in development that could
take us farther than we’ve ever gone before.
The Long March 5 version B is currently China’s most powerful rocket.
It stands just under 54 meters and can hold at least 22 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
This model doesn’t have a second stage.
Instead, there’s an extra-large payload fairing in order to accommodate the modules
of China’s upcoming space station.
The country is competing to become a dominant player in space.
There’s a long way to go to match the long line of American launch vehicles.
The Atlas V has sent spy satellites into orbit for the U.S. military and NASA’s Perseverance
rover on a path to Mars.
It’s operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
The 500 Series model, with a short payload fairing, stands nearly 60 meters.
Various configurations can accommodate up to five solid rocket boosters.
The Atlas V has relied on Russian engines to fly for nearly 20 years.
That reliance will soon end when it’s replaced by the Vulcan Centaur.
ULA’s next-generation launcher uses American-made engines.
It’s expected to provide higher performance than its predecessor and could make its maiden
voyage in late 2021.
The company has already snagged multi-billion-dollar Pentagon launch contracts over the next few years.
This version, with a standard payload fairing, measures about 62 meters tall.
The most powerful in the series is accompanied by six solid rocket boosters.
ULA says it may try to re-use the most expensive portion of its first stage down the road - the
pair of engines - by using a heat shield to protect them as they fall back through the
atmosphere before being nabbed by a helicopter mid-air.
Reusability is the key to SpaceX’s success.
The famous Falcon 9 has a first-stage booster that lands back on Earth to be used again.
SpaceX’s well-known rocket has already flown into orbit more than a hundred times, carrying
astronauts to the International Space Station and launching satellites for a new internet
service called Starlink.
The Falcon 9 gets its name from the nine Merlin engines that power the first stage.
Sticking three of the first stage boosters together creates the Falcon Heavy.
A heavy lift vehicle means it’s very powerful.
This is the most powerful rocket in use - generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff
- the equivalent of 18 Boeing 747 planes.
During its debut in 2018, the Falcon Heavy launched SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s personal
Tesla Roadster to space driven by a mannequin named ‘Starman’.
It can carry nearly 64 metric tons to low Earth orbit - more than twice the payload
of the Delta IV Heavy which also consists of three core boosters that make up the main body.
Unlike its SpaceX counterpart, the ULA rocket can’t be re-used.
The first stage simply falls into the ocean.
It has been operating since 2004 mainly to launch military payloads.
Retirement is around the corner.
The final flight is expected in 2023.
And as one retires, others are set to take off.
We’re still awaiting the debut of the massive New Glenn from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
One of the reasons Bezos says he’s stepping down as the CEO of Amazon is to focus more
on his space venture.
New Glenn is the company’s first rocket to go into orbit.
It has a large seven-meter fairing and can send 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
The heavy-lift launch vehicle will be partially reusable. The first stage will land and fly again.
The anticipated launch in 2021 has now been delayed to late 2022 at the earliest.
At 98 meters tall, it’s similar in height to the initial configuration of NASA’s Space Launch System.
The U.S. government’s flagship vehicle that’s being built will be the most powerful rocket
in its history - intended to replace the retired Space Shuttle.
The rocket uses four RS-25 engines designed for the Shuttle program.
It also has two solid rocket boosters on either side of the huge core stage - generating nearly
nine million pounds of thrust during launch.
This initial variation, Block 1, can carry more than 27 metric tons to orbits beyond the moon.
The goal is to take people to the moon and perhaps later, to Mars.
However, the first launch has slipped back multiple times.
It now aims to fly uncrewed in late 2021.
The plan is for the SLS to evolve.
Versions like the Block 2 Crew will carry larger payloads farther.
However, NASA’s suite of rockets is not reusable.
Unlike Starship.
SpaceX’s fully reusable rocket under development.
Both the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy booster are designed to land and fly again.
With a capability of carrying 100 metric tons to Earth’s orbit, it will be the most powerful
rocket ever built and also the largest.
To give you an idea of just how big Starship is, you can hardly see me right now unless
we zoom in really close.
I’m 5 foot 6 or about 1.7 meters tall standing next to this beast which is 120 meters in height.
NASA has selected a modified Starship to land the next man and first woman on the lunar
surface in a few years.
Starship is also scheduled to fly tourists around the moon in 2023.
The grand goal of Elon Musk is to send people to Mars and one day, build a city there.
So the future of spaceflight promises to be unlike anything humanity has ever experienced before.
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