Expendable launch system
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An expendable launch system is a launch vehicle that can be launched only once, after which its components are destroyed during reentry or impact with Earth, or discarded in space. ELVs typically cons
H-IIA F19 launch
H-II Transfer Vehicle
Naro-1
Shavit launcher
Ariane 6
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Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency and French Space Agency and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor Aria
Expendable launch system
…As of 2026, ELVs remain the most powerful operational rockets of the space programs of the US (Space Launch System), China (Long March 5), Europe (Ariane 6), Russia (Angara A5), and Japan (H3). Arianespace SA is a French company founded in March 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider…
Mockup of Ariane 6 in the 64 configuration during testing at the Guiana Space Centre
An ULPM prototype in 2021.