Medium-lift launch vehicle

US definition: 2,000 to 20,000 &nbsp; kg (4,400 to 44,100 &nbsp; lb)
Russian definition: 5,000 to 20,000 &nbsp; kg (11,000 to 44,000 &nbsp; lb)

	Clockwise from top left: Falcon 9, Soyuz-2, LVM3, Nuri, H-IIA, Long March 2D
Class overview
Name	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Preceded by	Small-lift launch vehicle
Succeeded by	Heavy-lift launch vehicle
Built	Since 1958
General characteristics
Capacity	US definition: 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb); Russian definition: 5,000 to 20,000 kg (11,000 to 44,000 lb);

A medium-lift launch vehicle (MLV) is a rocket launch vehicle that is capable of lifting between 2,000 to 20,000 kg (4,400 to 44,100 lb) by NASA classification or between 5,000 to 20,000 kilograms (11,000 to 44,000 lb) by Russian classification of payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). An MLV is between a small-lift launch vehicle and a heavy-lift launch vehicle. Medium-lift vehicles comprise the majority of orbital launches as of 2024, with both the Soyuz and Falcon 9 having launched several hundred times.