Launch Vehicle - Derivation and Related Terms

Derivation and Related Terms

In the English language, the phrase carrier rocket was used earlier, and still is occasionally, in Britain.

As an alternative, Project Vanguard provided a contraction of the phrase "Satellite Launching Vehicle" abbreviated to "SLV". This provided a term in the list of what the rockets were allocated for: flight test, or actually launching a satellite. The contraction would also apply to rockets which send probes to other worlds or the interplanetary medium.