The next round of heavy lift rockets is poised to rival SpaceX

The battle between established and emerging space enterprises to develop more advanced and larger launch vehicles is intensifying due to the growing demand for orbital launches worldwide. Keeping up with this fast-paced, highly regulated, and complex business can be challenging, but all the information you need to stay current is available here, along with links to further in-depth coverage.

To give you some history, you probably won't be surprised to learn that SpaceX is the clear leader in launches, having completed a record 96 launches in just the previous year. However, an increasing number of rivals claim they can provide the market with much-needed supply and competitive pressure, which will help the sector as a whole, thus their dominance hasn't deterred them.

The arrival of any one of these would probably cause a revolution in its vehicle class: Relativity's Terran R would challenge Falcon 9's hegemony, while New Glenn and Starship might enable frequent space travel to the moon and beyond. It will revolutionize everything if even one of them succeeds, which is all but guaranteed.

The medium-launch vehicle from Firefly and Northrop combines the agility of a startup with the flight legacy of Northrop's Antares launch vehicle. Firefly claims that the MLV will use technology from its small Alpha rocket along with several of the flight-proven Antares technologies, along with certain enhancements including a larger fairing and a more potent second stage. We know that the secret rocket will take off from Wallops Island, Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, but the two businesses haven't disclosed anything else about it. It is anticipated that the rocket would launch later in 2025.