A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed to fly and operate in outer space. [1] Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo.

Jan 22, 2025 · Spacecraft is a vehicle designed to operate, with or without a crew, in a controlled flight pattern above Earth’s lower atmosphere. Most spacecraft are not self-propelled; they depend on the initial velocity provided by a launch vehicle, which separates from the spacecraft when its task is done.

Feb 4, 2025 · A spacecraft is a vehicle that flies in space. It can carry astronauts, cargo, or instruments to their destination, or it can be the destination. The International Space Station is a spacecraft, just like the smaller vehicles that deliver crew and cargo to it.

Dec 21, 2001 · Spacecraft is a general term for objects launched into space—e.g., Earth-orbiting satellites and space probes, experiment capsules, the orbiting modules of some launch vehicles (e.g., the U.S. space shuttle or the Russian Soyuz), and space stations.

Nov 4, 2024 · Upon completion of this chapter you will be able to state the characteristics of various types of robotic spacecraft and be able to identify any of JPL’s past, current, or future spacecraft as belonging to one of eight basic categories.

Dec 4, 2024 · NASA’s Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. On Artemis missions, Orion will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and provide safe …

A spacecraft is a vehicle that can carry people and cargo beyond the Earth's atmosphere, through space to other planetary bodies, space stations, or orbits and back home again. Spacecraft which are launched from the surface of a planet are called launch vehicles and usually take-off from launch pads at spaceports .

5 days ago · Known as Endurance, the spacecraft was next due to fly the private Axiom-4 mission to the space station later this spring.Sources said SpaceX is now working toward a no-earlier-than March 12 ...

Learn about different types of spacecraft, both crewed and uncrewed, used for space exploration.

Aerospace industry - Spacecraft, Design, Manufacturing: Uncrewed spacecraft are called satellites when they operate in Earth orbit and space probes when launched on a trajectory away from the Earth toward other bodies or into deep space.