Compare vehicles
Two or three aircraft or launch vehicles side by side. Each kind is compared only with its own, since their published figures describe different things.
Spec sheet
- Published units
- As the sources give them, not converted. Feet and inches are written as decimal feet.
- No scoring
- No ranking and no winner.
- Gaps stay visible
- A missing value reads “Not published”, never zero.
- Scale lines need one unit
- Drawn only when every figure in the row shares a unit.
All to one scale. Saturn V and Space Launch System (SLS) outlines traced from U.S. government drawings, public domain. Starship: FloraFallenrose, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; cropped, labels removed, outline shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source. Every source is listed on the credits page.
If the sheet is wider than the screen, scroll it sideways; the characteristic column stays in view.
Heritage and programWho built the vehicle and when it first flew.
| Characteristic | Saturn V | Space Launch System (SLS) | Starship |
|---|---|---|---|
ManufacturerManufacturer: what this measuresThe organization that designed and built the vehicle. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | NASA and Apollo prime contractors | NASA and industry partners | SpaceX |
First flightFirst flight: what this measuresMarks when the vehicle first flew, which places it in the development timeline of the program. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | November 9, 1967 | November 16, 2022 | April 20, 2023 |
About these rows in Heritage and program
Who built the vehicle and when it first flew.
- Manufacturer
The organization that designed and built the vehicle.
- First flight
Marks when the vehicle first flew, which places it in the development timeline of the program.
General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation.
GeometryOverall size: length and wingspan, or height.
| Characteristic | Saturn V | Space Launch System (SLS) | Starship |
|---|---|---|---|
HeightHeight: what this measuresVehicle height is largely set by propellant tank volume and stage count, and it constrains ground handling, transport, and aerodynamic stability during ascent. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | 111 m Approximate public value | 98.3 m Nominal value | 124 m Nominal value |
About these rows in Geometry
Overall size: length and wingspan, or height.
- Height
Vehicle height is largely set by propellant tank volume and stage count, and it constrains ground handling, transport, and aerodynamic stability during ascent.
General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation.
Mass and structuresEmpty and maximum takeoff weight, or mass at liftoff.
| Characteristic | Saturn V | Space Launch System (SLS) | Starship |
|---|---|---|---|
MassMass: what this measuresLiftoff mass combines structure, propellant and payload. Its weight, liftoff mass times standard gravity, is what liftoff thrust must exceed for the vehicle to lift off and accelerate. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | 2,800,000 kg Approximate public value | 2,608 t Nominal value | 5,250+ t Published minimum |
About these rows in Mass and structures
Empty and maximum takeoff weight, or mass at liftoff.
- Mass
Liftoff mass combines structure, propellant and payload. Its weight, liftoff mass times standard gravity, is what liftoff thrust must exceed for the vehicle to lift off and accelerate.
General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation.
PropulsionEngines, thrust and stages.
| Characteristic | Saturn V | Space Launch System (SLS) | Starship |
|---|---|---|---|
ThrustThrust: what this measuresLiftoff thrust must exceed the vehicle's total weight to generate positive acceleration off the pad; the ratio of the two defines the thrust-to-weight ratio. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | 7,500,000 lbf Approximate public value | 39,144 kN Published maximum | 18,100,000 lbf Approximate public value |
StagesStages: what this measuresStaging sheds spent structural mass during ascent, letting each stage apply the rocket equation to only its own remaining mass, reaching orbital velocity more efficiently than a single continuous burn could. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. |
3 architecture elements |
3 architecture elements |
2 architecture elements |
About these rows in Propulsion
Engines, thrust and stages.
- Thrust
Liftoff thrust must exceed the vehicle's total weight to generate positive acceleration off the pad; the ratio of the two defines the thrust-to-weight ratio.
- Stages
Parallel boosters and cores are represented as separate architecture elements.
Staging sheds spent structural mass during ascent, letting each stage apply the rocket equation to only its own remaining mass, reaching orbital velocity more efficiently than a single continuous burn could.
General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation.
CapabilityThe job the vehicle was built for, and what it can carry where.
| Characteristic | Saturn V | Space Launch System (SLS) | Starship |
|---|---|---|---|
Payload capabilityPayload capability: what this measuresHow much mass the vehicle can deliver to a given orbit in a given configuration. It follows from applying the rocket equation over the whole ascent. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. | LEO: 118,000 kg (Expendable)
Approximate public values | LEO: 95,000+ kg (Expendable)
Published minima | LEO: 100,000+ kg (Reusable) Low Earth orbit: Published minimum |
Orbit capabilityOrbit capability: what this measuresWhich orbits the vehicle can reach depends on the delta-v it can deliver and on the trajectory flown. General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation. |
Published mission regimes |
Published mission regimes |
Planned mission regimes |
About these rows in Capability
The job the vehicle was built for, and what it can carry where.
- Payload capability
Payload values remain tied to their published orbit and launch configuration.
How much mass the vehicle can deliver to a given orbit in a given configuration. It follows from applying the rocket equation over the whole ascent.
- Orbit capability
Which orbits the vehicle can reach depends on the delta-v it can deliver and on the trajectory flown.
General aerospace background, not an ORBIX calculation.
- Published units
- As the sources give them, not converted. Feet and inches are written as decimal feet.
- No scoring
- No ranking and no winner.
- Gaps stay visible
- A missing value reads “Not published”, never zero.
- Scale lines need one unit
- Drawn only when every figure in the row shares a unit.