This chart compares the most powerful orbital rockets ever flown by their maximum payload capacity to low Earth orbit, in metric tonnes. The Saturn V, which carried Apollo astronauts to the Moon, still leads at 140 tonnes, ahead of NASA's m...

About: Most Powerful Rockets by Payload Capacity to Low Earth Orbit

Overview of the data behind this chart

AI Insight

The most remarkable fact in this ranking is its age: the Saturn V, designed in the early 1960s with slide rules, remains the most powerful rocket ever successfully flown at 140 tonnes to orbit. The Soviet Energia, its closest rival at 100 tonnes, flew only twice before the USSR collapsed. Among rockets flying today, the gap between heavy-lift and everything else is stark - SpaceX's Falcon Heavy (63.8 tonnes) lifts nearly three times more than the workhorse Falcon 9 (22.8 tonnes), yet still falls well short of the 1960s benchmark. NASA's SLS at 95 tonnes finally approaches Saturn V territory for the Artemis Moon program. The clustering of Proton, Falcon 9, and Long March 5B in the 22-25 tonne band shows how similar the world's standard heavy launchers have become.

Data source: NASA / Manufacturer Specifications

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Saturn V leads with 140 in All Time.

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Average value in All Time: 62 · median: 46.

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Gap in All Time: Saturn V is 6.1× larger than Falcon 9.

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Most Powerful Rockets by Payload Capacity to Low Earth Orbit

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

140

Saturn V

Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) · All Time

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Metrics

Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)

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Period

All Time

Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) · All Time

#	Category	All Time
🥇	Saturn V	140
🥈	Energia	100
🥉	SLS Block 1	95
4	Falcon Heavy	63.80
5	Delta IV Heavy	28.80
6	Long March 5B	25
7	Proton-M	23
8	Falcon 9	22.80

Statistical Summary — Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) · All Time

140

Maximum

22.80

Minimum

Average

Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

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Saturn V

Recorded 140 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Energia

Recorded 100 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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SLS Block 1

Recorded 95 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Falcon Heavy

Recorded 63.80 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Delta IV Heavy

Recorded 28.80 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Long March 5B

Recorded 25 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Proton-M

Recorded 23 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

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Falcon 9

Recorded 22.80 Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes) in All Time.

Source

Full Data Table

8 records across 1 year

8 sourced

Category	Metric	All Time
Saturn V	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	140
Energia	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	100
SLS Block 1	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	95
Falcon Heavy	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	63.80
Delta IV Heavy	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	28.80
Long March 5B	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	25
Proton-M	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	23
Falcon 9	Payload to Low Earth Orbit (Tonnes)	22.80