Rockets
Rockets go up by throwing fire down.
A rocket pushes hot gas down. That push is called thrust. Most of a rocket is fuel. The useful part rides on top.
Sounding rockets
A sounding rocket is a small research rocket. It goes up and comes back down. It does not stay in orbit.
Orbital rockets
An orbital rocket has to go fast enough sideways that it falls around Earth instead of back onto it.
Staging
Rockets are stacked in parts. When a tank is empty, it drops off so the rest is lighter.
Payload
The payload is the reason for the trip: a satellite, a capsule, or supplies. Fuel and empty tanks are not the payload.
Reuse
Some rockets land the first stage and fly it again. The top part is often still thrown away. Landing does not mean the whole rocket came home.
Vehicle families
What it’s for, what has actually flown, and what is still in testing. No implied performance numbers.
Saturn V
Retired Moon rocket
The giant rocket that sent Apollo crews toward the Moon.
- What has actually flown
- It flew in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the Apollo landings. Thirteen were launched. None failed catastrophically in flight, which is not the same as saying every detail was easy.
- What is still in testing
- Nothing. Saturn V is retired. It is not in production.
Space Shuttle
Retired winged orbiter
A spaceplane that carried crews and cargo to orbit, then landed like a glider.
- What has actually flown
- First flight 1981, last flight 2011. It flew often and also suffered two fatal accidents, Challenger and Columbia. The program is over.
- What is still in testing
- Retired. No Shuttle is being prepared to fly.
Soyuz
Crew and cargo workhorse
A long-used rocket and capsule family that still carries people to the space station.
- What has actually flown
- Hundreds of launches across decades, with a safety record that includes both routine success and fatal early flights. Crewed Soyuz flights to the ISS were still part of station life in 2026.
- What is still in testing
- The family is operational, with incremental upgrades. It is not a new clean-sheet vehicle.
Ariane
Europe’s orbital launcher
Europe’s rocket family, launched from French Guiana. Ariane 6 is the current one. Ariane 5 is retired.
- What has actually flown
- Ariane 6 had flown repeatedly by August 2026, including a Meteosat weather satellite that month. Early flights are still a young program compared with Soyuz or Falcon 9. Check Arianespace or ESA for the latest count.
- What is still in testing
- Ariane 6 is in service and still maturing. A heavier four-booster version has flown. It is not a reusable first stage.
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
Operational orbital rockets
SpaceX rockets that launch satellites, station crews, and cargo. Falcon 9 lands its first stage. Falcon Heavy is three boosters side by side.
- What has actually flown
- Falcon 9 has flown hundreds of times. Booster reuse is routine, not a stunt. Falcon Heavy has flown, much less often. Exact totals change every week — use SpaceX’s site, not a remembered number.
- What is still in testing
- The design is operational. Individual new boosters and fairings still go through their first flights. This is not the same program as Starship.
SLS and Orion
NASA deep-space crew stack
NASA’s big Moon rocket (SLS) and the Orion capsule that carries the crew. They flew people around the Moon on Artemis II.
- What has actually flown
- Artemis I (2022) sent an uncrewed Orion around the Moon. Artemis II (April 1–11, 2026) flew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a crewed lunar flyby in Orion, named Integrity. They did not land.
- What is still in testing
- The crew flyby is done. Landing missions, more SLS flights, and the lunar lander are still ahead. Dates have slipped before. NASA’s Artemis pages win.
Starship
In testing
SpaceX’s very large, fully reusable rocket, still being tested. It is not a crew taxi yet. The trainer in our game is not Starship.
- What has actually flown
- Test flights began in 2023 and were suborbital for a long time. On September 28, 2026, a flight reached Earth orbit for the first time, released Starlink satellites, then ended early after an engine problem and splashed down in the Pacific. That is a milestone, not a finished airline.
- What is still in testing
- Almost everything that matters for crews is still in testing: reliable engines, ship reuse, orbital refueling, and life support. Do not describe Starship as operational.
New Glenn
Flying, with a 2026 pause
Blue Origin’s large orbital rocket. It has reached orbit. A pad accident in 2026 stopped the schedule for a while.
- What has actually flown
- New Glenn has flown orbital missions. In 2026 a vehicle was lost in a launch-pad accident and flights paused. The company said it intended to fly again before the end of the year. Confirm the current state on Blue Origin’s site.
- What is still in testing
- Reuse and a steady cadence were not demonstrated facts as of September 2026. Treat “next flight” dates as provisional.