Talk:Comparison of orbital launch systems
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Point of this article
editI appreciate the hard work put in by the creator and the editors of this article, and I do not intend to undermine their efforts. However, I find the scope of this article somewhat unclear. Comparing all orbital rockets under a single premise seems overly broad, as these rockets vary significantly in design, purpose, and capabilities. A more meaningful comparison would be within specific categories—such as by payload capacity (small-lift, medium-lift, heavy-lift, and super-heavy-lift), reusability, or propulsion type (solid vs. liquid rockets), or destination (200km LEO, 400km LEO, 500km SSO, 700km SSO, GTO / TLI).
The current approach is akin to comparing all types of trains without distinction — imagine placing a steam locomotive alongside a Shinkansen or a tram next to a monorail. Grouping rockets into relevant subcategories would provide clearer insights and a more structured comparison in my opinion. Footy2000♡; 07:42, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
- The table gives a quick overview what is available. Which rockets could launch a 20 tonne satellite to low Earth orbit? How many rockets are reusable? What is the tallest rocket? What rocket flies the most? The table can answer all these questions and more. --mfb (talk) 13:02, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
- I understand, but such a large list may feel overwhelming for the reader. The articles like Medium-lift which have lists of all medium-lift rockets already address the first question. Table within Reusable launch vehicle addresses the second. Tallest rockets are often in super-heavy-lift article. The only comparison left is what rocket launches the most, the current data regarding this can also be found in the '[Year] in Spaceflight' articles. I'm not sure if having all rockets in one table for comparison is useful since there already exits a category for each that have tables for comparison, which seems like a more meaningful of a comparison in my opinion. This article could be a list of article links that compare rockets accordingly or maybe it can have operational rockets divided into sections according to their category and have transcluded tables within them. Footy2000♡; 03:15, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
- IMHO splitting things in 100 one-row-tables defeats the idea of a table/list/easy comparison. This is the reason why this article is much faster updated and much more often viewed then all the listed articles with the big exception of the Super heavy-lift launch vehicle where dreamers of ever exploding rockets dream about what could be and could have been. – You can not compete with dreamers. – This is even more true for the Comparison of orbital launcher families which also tried to reduce rows by reducing accuracy. This article is the useful one. The rest is just there to look better. If you want an in depth look: Go to the linked articles itself. This here is usually the starting point for what you are looking for. --~2025-38515-97 (talk) 04:46, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
- Definately wouldn't be a 100 one-row table affair. Though I can understand your point of view. Also, the launcher families article feels more redundant as it does not solve the very thing it intended to. Footy2000♡ (🗨) 12:34, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
- IMHO splitting things in 100 one-row-tables defeats the idea of a table/list/easy comparison. This is the reason why this article is much faster updated and much more often viewed then all the listed articles with the big exception of the Super heavy-lift launch vehicle where dreamers of ever exploding rockets dream about what could be and could have been. – You can not compete with dreamers. – This is even more true for the Comparison of orbital launcher families which also tried to reduce rows by reducing accuracy. This article is the useful one. The rest is just there to look better. If you want an in depth look: Go to the linked articles itself. This here is usually the starting point for what you are looking for. --~2025-38515-97 (talk) 04:46, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
- I understand, but such a large list may feel overwhelming for the reader. The articles like Medium-lift which have lists of all medium-lift rockets already address the first question. Table within Reusable launch vehicle addresses the second. Tallest rockets are often in super-heavy-lift article. The only comparison left is what rocket launches the most, the current data regarding this can also be found in the '[Year] in Spaceflight' articles. I'm not sure if having all rockets in one table for comparison is useful since there already exits a category for each that have tables for comparison, which seems like a more meaningful of a comparison in my opinion. This article could be a list of article links that compare rockets accordingly or maybe it can have operational rockets divided into sections according to their category and have transcluded tables within them. Footy2000♡; 03:15, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
New Image for Comparison of orbital launch systems
editHi I am uploading a potential new image for Comparison of orbital launch systems https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Starship_vs_Rockets_of_the_World.png Jurgenspacerocket (talk) 09:59, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
Falcon heavy
editWhat the... why are there two entries for Falcon Heavy that are identical in all ways except for their payload capacity and expendability/recoverability? Is this an accidental error?
Original research and Synthesis on Comparison of orbital launch systems
editRecently @Dncmartins has flagged this, along with many other comparison articles, for Wikipedia:OR and Wikipedia:SYNTH. I understand that articles such as this one have been a subject of debate as of recently, especially considering there is no clear policy on this matter, but deletion is not the desired outcome.
What should be done to make sure this article contains no original research and synthesis? 2006 Opel Meriva (talk) 17:50, 27 April 2026 (UTC)
- The most important problem is that features being compared are arbitrary os this is Original Research and the article is not allowed in Wikipedia. For reference see: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Comparison of smartphone brands. Dncmartins (talk) 17:29, 29 April 2026 (UTC)
- Keep. • Sbmeirow • Talk • 03:07, 1 May 2026 (UTC)
Can something be done with colors in the chart at the end?
edit"Launch systems by country" section has a chart. Currently, especially in dark mode, it's impossible to distinguish bright yellow(?) "in development" and white(?) "retired" categories. Can something be done about it? ~2026-29301-03 (talk) 13:43, 29 May 2026 (UTC)