Cohetes de Gran Capacidad de Próxima Generación que Habilitan una Economía Multiplanetaria

Cohetes de Gran Capacidad, Reutilizables y Más Grandes

Since the very first orbital missions of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin, space exploration has been constrained by the capacity of rockets able to launch payloads into orbit.

Los primeros cohetes tenían capacidades muy limitadas, con el primer satélite Sputnik siendo apenas una esfera de aluminio pulido de 58 cm (23 pulgadas) de diámetro. El cohete Vostok‑1, responsable del primer vuelo tripulado, solo podía llevar 4,7 toneladas a LEO.

En comparación, el Saturn‑5 que llevaría astronautas a la Luna podía transportar hasta 140 toneladas (310 000 lb) a LEO, una hazaña que aún hoy sigue sin igual.

Source: NASA

Sin embargo, todos estos cohetes eran dispositivos “consumibles” de un solo lanzamiento. Era suficiente para llegar a la Luna en una carrera espacial impulsada por el prestigio y financiada por el Estado entre EE. UU. y la URSS.

Pero eso equivale a desechar un Boeing 777 entero después de cada vuelo. Si hiciéramos eso, los viajes en avión serían horriblemente caros y nunca tendrían sentido desde el punto de vista económico.

Por eso la invención de SpaceX (SPCX ) de cohetes reutilizables lo cambió todo. Aunque al principio de menor capacidad, la reutilización de Falcon‑1, y luego de Falcon‑9 y Falcon Heavy, hizo que el costo de alcanzar la órbita terrestre se desplomara.

Hoy, una nueva generación de cohetes de gran capacidad está en desarrollo, y los competidores de SpaceX le siguen los pasos. Con la reutilización ahora como requisito, como ilustra el probable abandono del programa SLS después de 2028, estos cohetes permitirán la construcción de más infraestructura en el espacio que nunca antes.

En el largo plazo, la historia probablemente verá esto como el punto de inflexión en el que nuestra especie se volvió multiplanetaria, ya que estos lanzadores permitirán la construcción de infraestructuras espaciales, bases lunares, colonias marcianas, y un suministro ilimitado de energía de los paneles solares orbitales, formando en conjunto una economía espacial completamente nueva (follow the links for in-depth articles on each topic).

Por Qué el Tamaño Importa

The first and most obvious effect of reusable rockets and larger ones at that, is that it cuts the cost of reaching Earth’s orbits and deep space.

Source: ARK Research

Con una capacidad esperada de más de 100 toneladas, el Starship de SpaceX está cambiando por completo lo que es posible llevar a la órbita. Para referencia, la ISS completa pesa 420 toneladas (925 000 libras) y requirió más de 40 lanzamientos orbitales para su ensamblaje. Starship podría hacer algo similar con solo 3‑4 lanzamientos, y probablemente con 1/100 ^th del costo total.

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Beyond economy of scale and cost reduction, larger launch rockets radically change what can be done in space. For example, as launches are cheaper, in-orbit refueling is now a possibility.

Esto significa que llevar cientos de toneladas de materiales al espacio profundo, como la Luna o incluso Marte, ahora es posible con solo el vuelo inicial, más algunos vuelos de reabastecimiento. Además, un cohete reabastecido no necesitará llevar combustible para el aterrizaje, por lo que podrá transportar cargas aún más pesadas a LEO.

Esto también cambia el tipo de equipamiento que puede enviarse al espacio. Hasta ahora, cada satélite, elemento de estación espacial, telescopio espacial y sonda interplanetaria tuvo que diseñarse con el peso como la primera restricción de ingeniería, sacrificando durabilidad, costos, facilidad de mantenimiento y robustez en aras del bajo costo de lanzamiento.

Otra restricción eliminada es el espacio. Vehículos de lanzamiento como Starship tendrán un volumen masivo para su carga útil, limitando la necesidad de diseños complejos que se desplieguen una vez liberados.

Source: University Of Chicago

Lo más probable es que los vehículos de lanzamiento más pesados signifiquen un rediseño radical desde los primeros principios del equipamiento espacial, con costos de construcción en caída y mayor durabilidad, reparabilidad y posibilidad de actualización como nuevo enfoque.

Otro escenario posible es que los cohetes reutilizables al final de su ciclo de vida puedan lanzarse una última vez y quedar en órbita, con el tanque ahora hueco convertido en estaciones espaciales masivas y espaciosas.

El Líder de Cohetes Pesados: SpaceX

Due to its remarkable track record and its head start in this new space race, SpaceX is the company carrying the most expectations for this new generation of heavy launchers.

The next step is Starship, a super-heavy rocket that was originally targeting a 200-ton capacity to LEO.

Source: SpaceX

The latest estimate puts the capacity closer to 100 tons, due to a change in the design, notably making the many rocket nozzles more resistant to failure.

The rocket is remarkable for a few elements of its design, departing from previous rockets of both SpaceX and the space industry in general:

• Una estructura hecha de acero en lugar de una aleación de alto rendimiento más comúnmente usada en otros cohetes.
• Motores Raptor alimentados con metano, un tipo de combustible raramente usado hasta ahora.
• Piezas impresas en 3D.

Starship’s first tests have been … difficult to say the least, with many prototypes exploding at launch or failing to land back safely.

Later tests went a lot better, with notably test 11, performed in octubre de 2025, which was a complete success. This means that now, SpaceX has a reliable Starship model, which can be further improved.

For example, Falcon 9’s payload to LEO grew from 10.1 tons for its v1.0 to 22.8 tons for its latest “FT” version. The engine used has also increasingly become simpler, despite delivering much greater thrust.

Starship V3, which will be 5 feet (1.5 m) taller than its predecessor, will see its first tests at the beginning of 2026. It will also use Raptor 3, a stronger version of the engine powering the previous versions of Starship.

Source: Elon Musk

“Among many other things, we’re installing a new orbital launch mount, a new flame trench system and upgrading the chopsticks for future catches.“

Jake Berkowitz, a SpaceX lead propulsion engineer

This stage will also be the one testing in-orbit refueling. This will demonstrate the ability of Starship to service not just LEO, but also more distant orbits and handle missions to the Moon and Mars.

Later on, an even bigger and more powerful version, V4, is expected for 2027 or 2028.

Source: Elon Musk

It is likely that a future rocket will one day replace Starship, but none has officially been discussed yet. Most likely, a custom version dedicated to Martian travel will be developed first.

SpaceX is not publicly traded, but you can read how you could eventually buy stock in the company in this article (follow the link).

Cohete de Gran Capacidad New Glenn de Blue Origin

Another billionaire-funded company, this time by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has been slower than SpaceX to develop a large rocket, preferring a slow and steady approach to the quicker but more error-prone method of SpaceX.

A lot of the company’s future will depend on its new heavy-launch vehicle, the partially reusable New Glenn rocket.

Source: Ars Technica

The launch on November 13^th, 2025, of the ESCAPADE (“Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers”) mission, a NASA mission studying Mars, saw the company successfully retrieve the rocket’s first stage.

Currently, New Glenn has a payload capacity to LEO of 45 tons, putting it on par with Falcon Heavy, although it is not fully reusable.

Blue Origin released a statement outlining the next steps for its heavy-lift vehicle, which will include structural enhancements, as well as upgrades in propulsion, avionics, reusability, and recovery.

The company also plans to develop a “super-heavy” version of this vehicle, likely intended to make the New Glenn a fitting rival for SpaceX’s Starship.

Matthew Williams

The next step for Blue Origin will be to test its lunar lander, the Blue Moon MK1, the precursor to Blue Origin’s human lander, MK2.

MK1 mission will demonstrate and validate the lander’s hardware and systems, and carry a NASA payload called SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies), which will collect images from the Moon while landing.

Source: Jeff Bezos

Full reusability is the target for Blue Origin which would allow it to catch up with SpaceX and keep ahead of other competitors. The rumored “Project Jarvis”, discussed for several years, is how the company aims to reach this target.

Still, Jeff Bezos seems unconvinced that full reusability is a required step, and apparently has set up a race between the teams working on a reusable and an expendable second stage.

“When you do that trade on paper, it just isn’t obvious. The goal for the expandable stage is to become so cheap to manufacture that reusability never makes sense.

The goal for the reusability stage is to become so operable that expendability never makes sense.”

Source: PayloadSpace

Neutron de Rocket Lab: Desafío de Mediana Gran Capacidad

One of the most serious contenders to SpaceX’s crown in reusable launches is Rocket Lab.

The latest rocket in development at Rocket Lab is the Neutron.

With 13 tons of payload to Low-earth Orbit (LEO), Neutron is lifting 43x more mass than the company’s current rocket, Electron. It could even send up to 1.5 tons to Mars or Venus, making it a credible option for NASA missions sending rovers and experimental equipment to the nearest planets. This includes the potentially very lucrative misión de Retorno de Muestras de Marte.

Neutron could also be used by the US Air Force for a Rocket Cargo mission that supports point-to-point cargo transportation.

“This opportunity for the U.S. Air Force not only helps to advance space logistics, it also demonstrates a high degree of confidence by the DOD in Neutron’s capabilities. Anticipation is high for Neutron’s inaugural flight this year, and we’re excited to showcase Neutron as a platform for R&D for point-to-point logistics for the DoD.”

Sir Peter Beck – Rocket Lab founder and CEO

Neutron will use a liquid oxygen/methane propellant, following Starship’s lead. Its structure will be made of lightweight carbon composite.

(You can also read more about Rocket Lab in our dedicated investment report on the company.)

Relativity Space y el Terran R Impreso en 3D

While SpaceX invented the reusable rocket, it mostly produced them through traditional manufacturing methods, tried and tested by the space industry before, but did so more efficiently.

Relativity Space is even more ambitious, having since inception used 3D-printed technology for its Terran 1 (LEO payload of 1.25 tons) and the Aeon R engine powering the upcoming reusable Terran R.

Terran R is expected to carry 23.5 tons to low-Earth orbit (LEO), or even up to 33.5 tons in its largest version.

Source: Relativity Space

While it will be much smaller than Starship, it compares somewhat to SpaceX’s current functional rocket, the Falcon Heavy, and its 50 tons of LEO payload.

The first launch of Terran R is expected for the end of 2026 from Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The company uses vertically integrated, proven smart manufacturing methods across Terran R to optimize for cost, scalability, and speed, and enable high-frequency launch. This approach allowed Relativity Space to achieve rapid iteration cycles for components that benefit from rigorous hardware testing, as well as progress well into flight production of primary structures and systems for Terran R.

Relativity notably uses the NASA-developed Glenn Research Copper, or GRCop, a combination of copper, chromium, and niobium.

GRCop is optimized for high strength, high thermal conductivity, high creep resistance – which allows more stress and strain in high temperature applications – and good low cycle – which prevents material failures –above 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

While 3D printing is important for Relativity, larger pieces, like the panels of the rocket’s body, are still manufactured the traditional way.

This hybrid approach optimizes for rapid development and scalability, ensuring we can bring Terran R to market quickly for our customers.

For now, Relativity Space is also still private and backed by VC firms.

As one of the highest-profile rocket companies, it is expected to IPO in a few years, most likely after several successful launches of the Terran R, which would confirm the success of the technical approach of the company.

Cohetes Chinos

Long March 10

So far, the landscape of reusable launchers has been dominated by American firms. But Chinese programs, both public and private, are catching up fast.

The most remarkable is the Long March 10, a partially reusable rocket developed by the Chinese government, and the latest of the Long March rocket series.

The full Long March 10 will use three first stages bundled together. Long March 10 aims for a 70‑ton payload to LEO, and it will be in large part in charge of building further and supplying the Tiangong space station.

It should see its first launch in 2026, preparing for a 2030 lunar mission.

As NASA’s Artemis program gets delayed, and Starship is yet to be ready for lunar landing, this could potentially give China a winning step in the return to the Moon in the new space race.

Full reusability is expected for Long March 12A, developed in parallel, and which conducted a successful hot fire test of the second stage for the rocket in 2025.

Empresas Chinas Privadas de Cohetes Reutilizables

Many Chinese private companies are working on reusable rockets, looking to replicate with domestic engineering talent SpaceX’s playbook of first building small reusable rockets, and then scaling up to larger rockets. This includes:

• Space Epoch (Yuanxingzhe-1 )
• LandSpace (Zhuque−3)
• iSpace (Hyperbola−3)
• Orienspace (Gravity−2)
• Space Pioneer (Tianlong−3)
• Galactic Energy (Pallas−1)
• CAS Space (Lijian-2 rocket)

Of these, the most recent success was Space Epoch’s first known successful maritime vertical takeoff and vertical landing by a Chinese rocket company in mayo de 2025.

Resumen de la Competencia China

Overall, it seems that the competition for reusable rockets is heating up, with an onslaught of new Chinese companies on the heels of American rockets.

For now, most can be qualified as 2 steps behind, only starting to catch up with Rocket Lab and Relativity Space, and lagging behind SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Still, if the past 20 years have taught investors something, it is that the entry of China into a new technical field almost always means brutal competition is arriving soon.

This has been true for batteries, solar panels, and is now becoming true for semiconductors and space rockets as well. For example, China’s cumulative launch cadence in 2025 reached a little less than half that of SpaceX.

This will also include Guowang, a proposed 13,000-satellite low-Earth-orbit constellation to rival Starlink.

So investors in Western space companies should keep an eye on these competitors.

Otros Programas Emergentes de Cohetes Reutilizables

Planes Reutilizables de los Cohetes Korona y Amur‑SPG de Rusia

The previous contender in the first space race, Russia, has fallen behind in the past decades when it comes to space technology, especially in orbital launch rockets. Still, it is trying to finally catch up.

Trabajo de desarrollo para elcohete reutilizable Korona debería comenzar en 2026.

“The launch vehicle will have an extremely low cost of launching a payload into orbit, and the rocket can be used up to 100 times.

The mass of the payload launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome will be 5.5 tonnes.”

In parallel, Soyuz-7, also called Amur-SPG, a methane-powered, reusable rocket, with a payload to LEO of 10.5 tons, is expecting a launch date by 2030.

The rocket is expected to integrate composite materials, 3D printing, and bionic design to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity and reducing costs.

“Roscosmos intends to have their Amur‑SPG cost around $22 million per launch, a significant reduction compared to SpaceX’s $50 million per launch for their Falcon 9 reusable rocket.”

Experimentos de Cohetes Reutilizables de Japón (Honda y JAXA)

The Japanese company Honda conducted a successful launch and landing test of its experimental reusable rocket in junio de 2025.

While the rocket is relatively modest (6.3 m in length, 85 cm in diameter, 900 kg dry weight/1,312 kg wet weight), it was developed entirely and independently by Honda.

This is one part of space activity for the company, together with a pressurized, crewed moon rover developed in partnership between Japan’s space agency (JAXA) and Toyota.

Esfuerzos Privados de Lanzamiento Reutilizable de la India (Agnikul e ISRO)

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV‑TD) is the nation’s reusable rocket program. It is still in the early stages of development.

Agnikul Cosmos is a private Indian company that achieved its first suborbital test on 30 mayo de 2024, making it the world’s first flight with a single-piece 3D‑printed engine and India’s first semi‑cryo engine launch and first launch from a private launch pad.

Conclusión

The future of rocketry is being written, with heavy launchers like Starship, New Glenn, Neutron, and Terran R likely to bring the payload capacity of reusable or partially reusable rockets to the 70-200 tons per launch in the coming years.

In parallel, Chinese state and private programs are progressing fast, making sure that the space industry landscape stays as competitive as possible for the decades to come.

This almost guarantees that, as a species, not only will we soon be back on the Moon, likely with a permanent presence, but also might see in the next 10 years the first manned landing on Mars.

Meanwhile, an entire orbital economy is being built, starting with LEO satellite constellations with tens or hundreds of thousands of telecom satellites, as well as the capacity to build ever larger orbital stations or large solar power arrays.

For now, most of the main actors are not publicly listed, but this is likely to change as well, with the much‑anticipated IPOs of SpaceX, Blue Origin, or Relativity Space joining Rocket Lab and likely to be highly popular with investors.