launch vehicle

noun

: a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

Examples of launch vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company's Starship rocket, which remains in development, is poised to become the first fully reusable launch vehicle in history. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026

But the company has moved its focus to the R-2, a medium-lift reusable launch vehicle powered by seven of the company’s E-1 methalox engines. — IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026

The company pulled that off with Starship’s booster on the rocket’s fifth, seventh, and eighth flight tests, but has yet to try with the super-heavy-lift launch vehicle’s upper stage. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 18 Aug. 2026

This has become the country’s key launch vehicle with the Proton booster aging out, and the newer Angara rockets being so slow to reach a decent launch cadence. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above