A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry people to and from outer space.
Spacecraft under development | |
Spacecraft is operational | |
Retired spacecraft | |
‡ | Payload To / From the ISS |
§ | Crewed (Uncrewed) [Includes failures] |
Spacecraft | Origin | Manufacturer | Range | Launch system | Crew size | Length (m) | Diameter (m) | Launch mass (kg) | Power system | Payload (kg) ‡ | First spaceflight § | Last spaceflight | Flights § |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercury | USA | McDonnell Aircraft North American Aviation |
LEO attained |
Redstone MRLV Atlas LV-3B |
1 | 3.34 | 1.89 | 1,400 | Batteries | 1961 (1960) | 1963 | 6 (12)[note 1] | |
Gemini | USA | McDonnell Aircraft Martin |
LEO | Titan II GLV Titan IIIC[note 2] |
2 | 5.56 | 3.05 | 3,790 | Fuel cells | 1965 (1964) | 1966 | 10 (2)[note 3] | |
Apollo | USA | North American Aviation Grumman and Douglas |
Lunar | Saturn IB Saturn V |
3 | 8.5 | 3.91 | 5,500 CM + 14,700 LM + 24,500 Service Module |
Fuel cells | 1967 (1966) | 1975 | 15 (4)[note 3] | |
Space Shuttle orbiter | USA | Rockwell International | LEO | Space Shuttle | 8[note 4] | 37.24 | 4.8[note 5] | 109,000 | Fuel cells | 12,500/16,000 | 1981 | 2011 | 135[note 6] |
Soyuz 7K-T | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz Soyuz-U |
2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,830 | Batteries | 1973 | 1981 | 26 (4)[note 7] | |
Voskhod | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Voskhod | 3[note 8] | 5 | 2.4 | 5,682 | Batteries | 1964 (1964) | 1965 | 2 (3) | |
Vostok | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO first |
Vostok-K | 1 | 4.4 | 2.43 | 4,725 | Batteries | 1961 (1960) | 1963 | 6 (7)[note 9] | |
Soyuz 7K-OK | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,560 | Solar panels | 1967 (1966) | 1970 | 8 (8)[note 10] | |
Soyuz 7KT-OK | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,790 | Solar panels | 1971 | 1971 | 2[note 11] | |
Soyuz 7K-T-AF | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570 | Solar panels | 1973 | 1973 | 1 | |
Soyuz 7K-TM | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570 | Solar panels | 1974 | 1975 | 2 (2) | |
Soyuz 7K-MF6 | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,510 | Solar panels | 1976 | 1976 | 1 | |
Soyuz-T | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U Soyuz-U2 |
3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,850 | Solar panels | 1978 | 1986 | 15 (6)[note 12] | |
Soyuz-TM | Soviet Union Russia |
RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-U |
3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250 | Solar panels | 1986 | 2002 | 33 (1) | |
Buran | Soviet Union | RKK Energia | LEO | Energia | 10 | 36.37 | 2.4 [note 13] | 105,000 | Fuel cells | 30,000 [note 14] | N/A (1988) | (1988) | 0 (1) |
Soyuz-TMA 11F732 |
Russia | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250 | Solar panels | 2002 | 2012 | 22 | |
Soyuz TMA-M 11F747 |
Russia | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,150 | Solar panels | 2010 | 2016 | 19 | |
Shenzhou | China | China Academy of Space Technology | LEO | Chang Zheng 2F | 3 | 9.25 | 2.80 | 7,840 | Solar panels | 2003 (1999) | Active | 12 (5) | |
Soyuz MS |
Russia | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-2.1a | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,080 | Solar panels | 2016 | Active | 22 (2) | |
Crew Dragon | USA | SpaceX | LEO | Falcon 9 | 4[1] | 8.1[2] | 3.7[3] | 12,055[4] | Solar Panels | 3,307/2,507 | 2020 (2019) | Active | 11 (1) |
CST-100 Starliner | USA | Boeing | LEO | Atlas V | 7 [note 15][5] | 5.03 [6] | 4.56 [6] | 13,000 | Solar panels | 2024 (2019) | Testing | 0 (2) | |
Orion | USA | Lockheed Martin Astrium |
Lunar, Mars | Space Launch System | 6 | 3.3 | 5 | 8,900 capsule + 12,300 service module |
Solar panels | 2025 (2014) | Testing | 0 (2)[note 16] | |
Mengzhou | China | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | LEO, Lunar | Long March 10 | 7 | 8.8 | 4.5 | 21,600 | Solar panels | 2026 (2020) | Testing | 0 (1) | |
Gaganyaan | India | Indian Space Research Organization | LEO | GSLV Mk III | 3 | 7 | 3.5 | 7,800 | Solar Panels | (Planned: 2024) | Planned | 0 | |
Starship | USA | SpaceX | Solar System[7][note 17] | Super Heavy | 100 [note 18] | 55 [7] | 9 [7][note 19] | 1,335,000 [7] | Solar Panels | (Planned: 2023) [7] | Testing | 0 | |
Orel |
Russia | RKK Energia | LEO,Lunar | Irtysh (rocket) Angara A5 |
6 | 6.1 | 37,478 | Solar panels | (Planned: 2028) | Planned | 0 | ||
Dream Chaser | USA | Sierra Nevada Corporation | LEO | Vulcan Centaur | 7 [8][9] | 9 [10] | 7 [note 20] | 11,300 [11] | Solar panels | TBA | Planned | 0 | |
Biconic Space Vehicle | USA | Blue Origin | LEO | New Glenn | 7 | 98 | 7 | TBA | Planned | 0 | |||
Nyx | Germany France | The Exploration Company | LEO,Lunar | Ariane 6 or Falcon 9 | 4 | 8,000 | Solar panels | 4,000 LEO, 2,000 Lunar | TBA | Planned | 0 |
Spacecraft | Origin | Manufacturer | Altitude | Launch system | Crew size | Length (m) | Diameter (m) | Launch mass (kg) | Power system | Generated power (W) | First spaceflight § | Last spaceflight | Flights § |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SpaceShipOne | USA | Scaled Composites | 112 km X Prize |
White Knight Hybrid Motor |
1 | 8.53 | 8.05 | 3,600 | Batteries | 2004 | 2004 | 3[note 21] | |
X-15 | USA | North American Aviation | 108 km altitude |
B-52 Ammonia-LOX |
1 | 15.45 | 6.8 | 15,420 | Two 28 volt-300 amp DC generators | 1963[note 22] | 1963 | 2[note 23] | |
SpaceShipTwo | USA | Virgin Galactic | 90 km | White Knight Two RocketMotorTwo |
8[note 24] | 18.3 | 8.3 | 9,740 | Batteries | December 13, 2018 | 2[note 25] | ||
New Shepard | USA | Blue Origin | 119 km | New Shepard BE-3 |
6 | 18 | 3.7 | 75,000 [note 26] | Batteries | 2021 (2015) |
6 (17) | ||
Spica Rocket | Denmark | Copenhagen Suborbitals | 105 km | BPM100 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 4,100 | Batteries | 2025 | Early Development | 0 | |
SpaceShip III | USA | Virgin Galactic | Approximately 90 km | White Knight Two | 8[note 27] | 18.3 | 8.3 | 9,740 | Batteries | Unknown | Undergoing initial ground testing | 0[note 28] |
'With [the addition of parachutes] and the angle of the seats, we could not get seven anymore', Shotwell said. "So now we only have four seats. That was kind of a big change for us".