Next-Gen Heavy-Lift Rockets Enabling Multiplanetary Economy

Bigger, Reusable Heavy-Lift Rockets

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.

The first rockets had very limited capacities, with the first satellite Sputnik just a 58 cm (23 inches) diameter polished aluminum sphere. The Vostok-1 rocket, responsible for the first manned flight, could only bring 4.7 tons to LEO.

In comparison, the Saturn-5 that would bring astronauts to the Moon could carry as much as 140 tons (310,000 lbs) to LEO, a feat still to this day unmatched.

Source: NASA

However, all these rockets were “consumable” one-launch devices. It was enough to reach the Moon for a prestige-driven, state-funded space race between the USA and the USSR.

But this is equivalent to throwing away an entire Boeing 777 after each flight. If we did that, plane travel would be horrendously expensive and never make sense from an economic point of view.

This is why the invention by SpaceX of reusable rockets changed everything. While at first of lower capacity, the reusability of Falcon-1, and then of Falcon-9 and Falcon Heavy, made the cost of reaching Earth’s orbit collapse.

Today, a new generation of heavy-lift rockets is in the making, and the competitors of SpaceX are on its heels. With reusability now a must, as illustrated by the likely abandonment of the SLS program after 2028, these rockets will allow for the building of more infrastructure in space than ever before.

In the long run, this will likely be viewed by history as the inflection point where our species turned multiplanetary, as these launchers will enable the building of space infrastructures, Moon bases, Martian colonies, and an unlimited energy supply from orbital solar arrays, altogether forming an entirely novel space-based economy (follow the links for in-depth articles on each topic).

Why Size Matters

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

With an expected capacity of 100+ tons, SpaceX’s Starship is completely changing what is possible to bring into orbit. For reference, the entire ISS weighs 420 tons (925,000 pounds) and required more than 40 orbital launches for its assembly. Starship could do something similar with just 3-4 launches, and likely 1/100^th of the total cost.

Swipe to scroll →

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.

This means that bringing hundreds of tons of materials to deep space, like the Moon or even Mars, is now possible with just the initial flight, plus a few refueling flights. In addition, a refueled rocket will not need to keep fuel for landing back, so it can carry even heavier loads to LEO.

This also changes the type of equipment that can be brought into space. Until now, every satellite, space station element, space telescope, and interplanetary probe had to be designed with weight as the very first engineering constraint, sacrificing durability, costs, ease of maintenance, and robustness on the altar of cost launches.

Another constraint lifted is space. Launch vehicles like Starship will have a massive volume for their payload, limiting the need for complex design unfolding once released.

Source: University Of Chicago

Most likely, heavier launch vehicles will mean a radical redesign from first principles of space equipment, with construction costs falling and durability, reparability, and possibility for upgrade as the new focus.

Another possible scenario is that reusable rockets reaching the end of their life cycle could be launched one last time and left in orbit, with the now hollow tank to be refurbished into massive and spacious space stations.

The Heavy Rockets Leader: 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:

• A body made of steel instead of a high-performance alloy more commonly used in other rockets.
• Methane-fueled Raptor engines, a rarely used type of fuel until now.
• 3D printed parts.

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 October 2025, which was a complete success. This means that now, SpaceX has a reliable Starship model, which can be further improved.

This improvement stage is likely going to be very important for SpaceX, as the company has a history of first creating a proof-of-concept model, and then iterating until the performance improves significantly.

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

The launchpad will also be upgraded.

“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).

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Heavy-Lift Rocket

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.”