This book covers the topic of launch vehicles, and their support facilities. These are generally rocket powered, but there are other options. Not everything rocket-powered is going to space, either. They have been rocket-powered motorcycle,s and cars. We're not going to talk about those, in this book. And, we are certainly not going to mention the Rocket Racing League.

This is not a comprehensive coverage of launch vehicles. We will not discuss military systems, except if they are used or re-purposed to civilian spaceflight. We will cover the spectrum from small sounding rockets to heavy lift vehicles. We will look at other options to get to orbit, including air-launch systems, the space elevator, and balloon-borne payloads.