A small-lift launch vehicle is an orbital rocket capable of lifting 2,000 kilograms or less by the NASA classification, or under 5,000 kilograms by the Roscosmos classification, of payload into low Earth orbit. The cited article says small launch vehicles can meet the requirements of some spacecraft and can be less expensive than a larger launch vehicle would be, and that the next larger category is medium-lift launch vehicles. In the atlas it names the class of vehicles built to place small satellites into orbit. Launch vehicles of this class are grouped under this concept.
Connections
Vehicle Class Of
Entity-backed identity for the vehicle-class enum value this launch vehicle already carries, resolved to a space concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The vehicle-class fact itself stays on the launch vehicle unchanged.
Source Long March 1 (Wikipedia)
Source Long March 11 (Wikipedia)
Source Long March 6 (Wikipedia)
Source Minotaur (rocket family) (Wikipedia)
Source Pegasus (rocket) (Wikipedia)
Entity-backed identity for the vehicle-class enum value this launch vehicle already carries, resolved to a space concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The vehicle-class fact itself stays on the launch vehicle unchanged.
Source Vega (rocket) (Wikipedia)
Sources
Small-Lift Launch Vehicle
Wikipedia, lead section
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).
In Group: Launch System Classes, Lead sentence
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).
View the SourcePegasus (rocket) (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Pegasus, Lead sentenceQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Pegasus, Lead sentence
Pegasus was an air-launched, small-lift launch vehicle developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and later built and launched by Northrop Grumman.
Minotaur (rocket family) (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Minotaur, Lead sentenceQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Minotaur, Lead sentence
The Minotaur family consists of four primary variants: the Minotaur I, used for launching small satellites into low Earth orbit; the Minotaur II, used primarily as a suborbital target vehicle; the Minotaur IV, a small-lift orbital launch vehicle; and the Minotaur V and Minotaur VI, capable of higher-energy missions including geostationary transfer orbit and trans-lunar trajectories.
Vega (rocket) (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Vega, Lead sentenceQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Vega, Lead sentence
Vega (Italian: Vettore Europeo di Generazione Avanzata, French: Vecteur européen de génération avancée, lit. 'Vector European Generation Advanced') was a European expendable small-lift launch vehicle developed by Avio and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Long March 1 (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Long March 1, Infobox: functionQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Long March 1, Infobox: function
Small-lift launch vehicle
Long March 6 (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Long March 6, Infobox: functionQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Long March 6, Infobox: function
Small-lift launch vehicle
Long March 11 (Wikipedia)
Vehicle Class Of: Long March 11, Infobox: functionQuote, Vehicle Class Of: Long March 11, Infobox: function
Small-lift launch vehicle
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