launch vehicle

noun

: a rocket used to launch a satellite or spacecraft

Examples of launch vehicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recognizing that the company had to diversify to survive, Firefly executives began pursuing other business opportunities—spacecraft manufacturing, lunar missions, and a medium-class rocket—to go alongside its small Alpha launch vehicle. Kristin Shaw, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025 SpaceX has spent years developing and testing the Starship, which is classified as a super heavy-lift launch vehicle and is lauded as the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025 In Europe, French company Latitude is gearing up for the debut flight of its small launch vehicle named Zephyr this year. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2025 But rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch vehicle appeared to explode just after launching, with debris raining down over the Caribbean Sea. Peter Green, Quartz, 19 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for launch vehicle

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of launch vehicle was circa 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Launch vehicle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/launch%20vehicle. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

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