launch vehicle

noun

: a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

Examples of launch vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Today SpaceX is slated to launch its 13th test flight of the massive, 408-foot (124-meter) launch vehicle. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026

Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's heavy-lift launch vehicle, capable of launching up to 58,860 pounds (26,700 kg) to geostationary transfer orbit. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 July 2026

This makes Vikram-1 somewhat larger than the Electron launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab, the world’s most successful dedicated small satellite launcher. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 July 2026

Starship, the commercial spaceflight company's super heavy-lift launch vehicle, is due to get off the ground in South Texas on the heels of a largely successful May flight test. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above