launch vehicle

noun

: a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

Examples of launch vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some missiles even became launch vehicles for satellites and astronauts, carrying their military engineering into the emerging Space Age. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026

The feat would mark a significant milestone as SpaceX works to develop Starship to become the first fully reusable launch vehicle, with both the lower- and upper-stages of the rocket able to fly multiple times. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026

And, thanks to the precision of Roman's SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle and fuel savings during Roman's early trajectory corrections, the telescope is expected to have enough propellant to operate for the next 22 years. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

The two-stage rocket, Spectrum, became the first fully commercial launch vehicle in Europe to reach orbit, Ars reports. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above