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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In one of these documents, Buzz Aldrin recounts seeing what might have been a piece of a Saturn V launch vehicle, the NASA rocket that helped loft the Apollo missions into space. Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 8 May 2026 Authored by Buzz Aldrin, the observations highlighted in the document – all made during the crew's return trip to Earth – include an object on the way toward the moon that the astronauts speculated may have been the Saturn V launch vehicle. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 May 2026 SpaceX may be looking beyond the world’s most successful rocket to build a much more powerful launch vehicle. Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 May 2026 CycloRP focuses on launch vehicles and reusable rocket systems. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 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 12 May. 2026.

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