launch vehicle

noun

: a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

Examples of launch vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The company has stacks of satellites—each a little more than a half-ton in mass—awaiting rides to space on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicle. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026 SpaceX comes to the road show with its reusable Falcon 9 launch vehicle; the Starlink satellite network, which includes more than 10,000 satellites in orbit and counting; and a record of turning improbable space hardware into working systems. Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 12 June 2026 SpaceX intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund its growth strategy, including the expansion of AI compute infrastructure, enhancements of launch infrastructure and launch vehicles and increases in the scale and capacity of its satellites. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 June 2026 SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is the world’s dominant launch vehicle, and the company is developing Starship, a massive rocket that will send astronauts to the moon and possibly Mars, while supporting the build-out of the company’s Starlink satellite internet communications system. Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for launch vehicle

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of launch vehicle was circa 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Launch vehicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/launch%20vehicle. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

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