List of canceled launch vehicle designs

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Even before the launch of Sputnik 1, there were various types of launch vehicle designs. The launch vehicle designs described below are either canceled or never left the drawing board.

## 20th century

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2025)

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Name  | Designer  | Proposed  | Canceled

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Von Braun Ferry Rocket | Wernher von Braun | 1950s  |
North American X-15B | USAF and NACA | 1958
Mercury-Jupiter | NASA | 1959
Saturn C-2 | 1959  | 1962
Saturn C-3
Saturn C-4
Nova |
BAC Mustard | BAC | 1960s  | 1967
NEXUS | General Dynamics |
Saturn C-5N | NASA | 1972
Saturn INT-20 |
UR-700 | Vladimir Chelomei |
Saenger (spacecraft) | Eugen Sänger, Junkers,  MBB, DLR | 1995
Saturn C-8 | NASA | 1962  | 1962
Sea Dragon | Robert Truax |
Douglas SASSTO | Philip Bono | 1967  |
Martin Marietta Spacemaster | Martin Marietta |
Saturn V-A | NASA | 1968  |
Saturn V-C |
Saturn V-Centaur |
Saturn V-D |
Saturn INT-21 | 1970s  |
Chrysler SERV | Chrysler | 1971  |
Saturn-Shuttle | NASA | 1972
Hermes | CNES and ESA | 1975  | 1992
Rockwell X-30 | Rockwell International | 1980  | 1993
British Aerospace HOTOL | British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce | 1982  | 1989
Trans Atmospheric Vehicle | Lockheed Martin | ~1985  |
Shuttle-C | NASA | 1984  | 1995
VentureStar | Lockheed Martin | 1990s  | 2001
National Launch System | NASA | 1991  | 1992
Black Horse | Mitchell Burnside Clapp  | 1993  | 1996
Kankoh-maru | Japanese Rocket Society  |
K-1 | Rocketplane Kistler | 1994  | 2007
Roton | Rotary Rocket | 1996  | 2001
Magnum | NASA | 2004

## 21st century

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2025)

|

Name  | Designer  | Proposed  | Canceled

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|
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Ares IV | NASA | 2000s  | 2010
Ares V Lite
Jupiter | DIRECT | 2010
Falcon 1e | SpaceX | 2011
Haas | ARCAspace |
Orbital Space Plane Program | NASA | 2002  | 2004
Falcon 5 | SpaceX | 2003  | 2005
Galaxy Express | Galaxy Express Corporation | 2009
Ares I | NASA | 2005  | 2010
Ares V
Rocketplane XP | Rocketplane Kistler | 2011
Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle | NASA | 2009  | 2010
Liberty | ATK and Astrium | 2011  | 2012
Falcon 9 Air | SpaceX
Mars Colonial Transporter | 2012  | 2016
Interplanetary Transport System | 2016  | 2017
Big Falcon Rocket | 2017  | 2018
OmegA | Northrop Grumman | 2016  | 2020

## See also

[edit]

* Spaceflight portal

* Comparison of orbital launch systems
* Non-rocket spacelaunch
* List of orbital launch systems
* List of private spaceflight companies#Crew and cargo transport vehicles
* Spaceplane
* List of crewed lunar lander designs

## Further reading

[edit]

* SP-4221 The Space Shuttle Decision Chapter 8 (NASA)
* Dr. Wernher Von Braun (July 1970). The Spaceplane that can put you in orbit. `{{cite book}}`: `|work=` ignored (help)
* T.A. Heppenheimer \- SP-4221 The Space Shuttle Decision (NASA, 1998)

## External links

[edit]

* INTRODUCTION TO FUTURE LAUNCH VEHICLE PLANS [1963-2001] by Marcus Lindroos (Updated 6/15/2001)
* Space Future - Vehicle Designs
* Category:Proposed or planned spacecraft (Wikimedia Commons)
* 10 Space Shuttles which never flew (Lockheed Starclipper, Chrysler SERV, Phase B Shuttles, Rockwell C-1057, Shuttle C, Air Launched Sortie Vehicle (ALSV), Hermes, Buran, Shuttle II, Lockheed Martin VentureStar)