What is more powerful: A Soyuz rocket or a Delta IV rocket?

Now we like the Soyuz rocket, and we like the Delta IV rocket, but which is better? There’s only one way to find out…

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Asked by Jeremy Hardwick

The power of any rocket is usually measured by the heaviest payload it can take into certain types of orbit. Using either low-Earth orbit (LEO – the position of the International Space Station) or the higher geostationary transfer orbit (GTO – the position of most communications and GPS satellites), Delta IV rockets win over Soyuz rockets by a large amount. The Delta IV Heavy (the most powerful type of Delta IV rocket) can take a payload four times heavier than Soyuz rockets can manage up to LEO, and a payload five times heavier up to GTO.

Even the least powerful Delta IV rocket (the Delta IV-M) can take heavier payloads than Soyuz rockets to both LEO and GTO. Soyuz rockets do have one major advantage over Delta IV rockets, though, as they can carry manned spacecraft.

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