Raw Thrust: The All-Time Power Rankings

By liftoff thrust: Starship ~74 MN, Soviet N1 ~45 MN, NASA's SLS ~39 MN, Saturn V ~35 MN.

The top 3

1. Starship Super Heavy — #1 at ~74 MN: 33 Raptor engines produce roughly 74 meganewtons (~16.7M lbf) at liftoff, the most of any rocket ever flown.
2. Soviet N1 — #2 at ~45 MN, zero successes: 30 engines made ~45 MN and topped the thrust chart for decades, yet all four launches (1969-72) failed.
3. SLS beats Saturn V — 39 vs 35 MN: NASA's SLS edges Apollo's Saturn V at liftoff, but both trail Starship by roughly 2x.

Sources

• Wikipedia — Comparison of orbital launch systems
• SpaceX — Starship

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