launch vehicle

American  

noun

1. Aerospace. a rocket used to launch a spacecraft or satellite into orbit or a space probe into space.

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launch vehicle British  

noun

1. a rocket, without its payload, used to launch a spacecraft

2. another name for booster

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Etymology

Origin of launch vehicle

First recorded in 1955–1960

Example Sentences

Virgin Galactic is targeting the release of a second launch vehicle, with two more Delta spacecraft, by 2030.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

“In the event of a debris-generating space launch vehicle mishap, there is the potential for debris falling within an area,” the advisory said, again listing coordinates for two zones in the Gulf and Caribbean.

From Salon • Jan. 12, 2026

Firefly is also working on the Eclipse medium-lift launch vehicle, which it is developing with defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

Other ground-based launchers could be adapted to fire the Tomahawks, including a new launch vehicle made by Oshkosh Defense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Over the course of the decade, a series of space missions confirmed that the idea of having a launch vehicle that separated from the mother ship would, in fact, work.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson