Chart of Extant Orbital Rockets

[Kibble]

I made this chart and it compares the ~30 currently in-production orbital rockets. Its a histogram comparing the number of rockets to payload inserted on LEO in metric tonnes, subdivided based on the four extant rocket fuel types (Yellow-orange for solid rockets, sickly reddish-brown for hypergolic, smoggy dark grey for kerosene and O2, and etherial lavender for O2 and H2)

Block IB System, Falcon Heavy are included because I think they are very likely to fly, and because they make up a unique payload class. Oh and Long March 5 in its various configurations is also included. Since some rockets are configurable to to multiple payload classes (like Angara, Delta II, Delta IV, or Long March 2/3/4) I included multiple data points for each configuration with a fairly significant payload difference. For example in the Atlas V family there are data points for each number of SRMs from naught to five, while the fairing diameter and whether its SEC or DEC doesn't much change payload class. Plus IIRC, DEC has never flown.

I think it shows some interesting trends - some fairly apparent, like how high-energy rocket fuel is reserved for large payloads, and solid fuel rockets are limited to very small payloads. Some other interesting facts I learned - about 16% of all extant rocket families use RD-170 (and direct derivatives) as primary propulsion, and more than half of all kerosene-fuel rockets use RD-170 as primary propulsion.

Thanks for looking at this thing I made! I think its pretty interesting, and I hope some of you guys do too. Which is likely because this is a forum for a game about launching rockets.

[magnemoe]

Would love names on the rockets too

Note that both ariane and the shuttle are basically solid fuel first stage, core has an TWR less than 1 on launch.

[HafCoJoe]

What does the X axis represent? The Y axis label number of rockets built, but does X represent mass? Or what? Cool chart and I didn't know kerosene had so many rockets built!

[Kibble]

What does the X axis represent? The Y axis label number of rockets built, but does X represent mass? Or what? Cool chart and I didn't know kerosene had so many rockets built!

Thanks! The X axis is payload onto LEO.

Would love names on the rockets too

Note that both ariane and the shuttle are basically solid fuel first stage, core has an TWR less than 1 on launch.

Well since the RS25/Vulcain rocket engines ignite on the ground, and the boosters provide very little of the total delta-vee I figured I'd categorize them as hydrogen fueled. The same goes for other rockets with solid boosters like Delta II GEMs and Atlas V SRMs.

VLS-1

Super Strypi

Epsilon

Vega

PSLV

Shavit

Unha

Minotaur

Taurus

Pegasus

Dnepr

Rokot/Strela

Proton

GSLV

GSLV Mk III

Safir

Long March 2D

Long March 2E/F

Long March 3A

Long March 3B

Long March 3C

Long March 4C/D

Delta II 7320

Delta II 7920

Antares

Naro

Angara 1.2

Angara 5

Soyuz 2

Soyuz 2-1v

Atlas V 401

Atlas V 411

Atlas V 521

Atlas V 531

Atlas V 541

Atlas V 551

Long March 6

Long March 7 (2.25 x2)

Long March 7 (2.25 x4)

HIIA

HIIB

Delta IV

Delta IV 4,2

Delta IV 5,4

Delta IV Heavy

Ariane 5

Space Launch System Block IB

Long March 5 (2.25m x4)

Long March 5 (2.25m x2, 3.35 x2)

Long March 5 (3.35 x4)

One other rocket in service is the CNSA solid-fuel Kuaizhou, but it didn't get a data point because I couldn't find information on its payload.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Kibble

[Kryten]

Given the size of it, Kuaizhous payload is going to be under a ton. It's not CNSA btw, anymore than Atlas V is a NASA rocket; it doesn't even perform CNSA launches.

[Dkmdlb]

How are you categorizing the GSLV Mk III? It has that interesting solid boosters-only launch followed by ignition of the hypergolic core stage two minutes later.

[Kibble]

Given the size of it, Kuaizhous payload is going to be under a ton. It's not CNSA btw, anymore than Atlas V is a NASA rocket; it doesn't even perform CNSA launches.

Oh thanks for input. I don't know much about the politics or whatever between a country's space programs, the government, the contractors that build space vehicles, and the military.

How are you categorizing the GSLV Mk III? It has that interesting solid boosters-only launch followed by ignition of the hypergolic core stage two minutes later.

ISRO's rockets were pretty hard to categorize, like I called PSLV solid-fuel since the boosters, first stage, and third stage were solid, and provided the primary propulsion for the majority of the launch. For GSLV Mk III since the core does most of the work, even though it ignites just before booster sep, I called it hypergolic rather than solid.

[Bill Phil]

What program did you use?

Maybe a bunch of people could work on all rockets throughout history that have the data?

[Guest]

Hydrazine? I wasn't aware there were any, much less an entire class of carrier rockets, that ran on hydrazine... Did you mean hypergolic?

E: Ah, I see you mean it in the general sense of hydrazine derivatives, excuse me. I'm far more used to referring to the specific fuels or "hypergolic" as a category.

Also, what is the criteria for purely cryogenic carriers? Upper stages are typically the cryogenic ones, as I understand it, with the lower stages being either hypergolic or, more typically, kerosene. E: I see you do have criteria, fantastic. Just curious.

Edited March 4, 2015 by regex

[Kibble]

Also, what is the criteria for purely cryogenic carriers? Upper stages are typically the cryogenic ones, as I understand it, with the lower stages being either hypergolic or, more typically, kerosene. E: I see you do have criteria, fantastic. Just curious.

I considered restartable upper stages/space tugs to be separate from the launch vehicle, in the case of rockets meant to travel to GEO (or deep space), especially when said upper stage isn't tied to a specific rocket like Fregat or Centaur.

What program did you use?

Maybe a bunch of people could work on all rockets throughout history that have the data?

Oh it was just a fun little website: http://www.meta-chart.com. That would be cool a chart that has every single rocket! I wonder if it would change the shape of the chart much.