Comparison of crewed space vehicles
A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry people to and from outer space.
Table code key
Spacecraft under development | |
Spacecraft is operational | |
Retired spacecraft | |
‡ | Payload To / From the ISS |
§ | Crewed (Uncrewed) [Includes failures] |
Orbital and interplanetary space vehicles
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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,830 | Batteries | 1973 | 1981 | 26 (4)[note 7] | |
Voskhod | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Voskhod | 3[note 8] | 5 | 2.4 | 5,682 | Batteries | 1964 (1964) | 1965 | 2 (3) | |
Vostok | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO first | Vostok-K | 1 | 4.4 | 2.43 | 4,725 | Batteries | 1961 (1960) | 1963 | 6 (7)[note 9] | |
Soyuz 7K-OK | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,560 | Solar panels | 1967 (1966) | 1970 | 8 (8)[note 10] | |
Soyuz 7KT-OK | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,790 | Solar panels | 1971 | 1971 | 2[note 11] | |
Soyuz 7K-T-AF | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570 | Solar panels | 1973 | 1973 | 1 | |
Soyuz 7K-TM | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570 | Solar panels | 1974 | 1975 | 2 (2) | |
Soyuz 7K-MF6 | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,510 | Solar panels | 1976 | 1976 | 1 | |
Soyuz-T | ![]() | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz-U Soyuz-U2 | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,850 | Solar panels | 1978 | 1986 | 15 (6)[note 12] | |
Soyuz-TM | ![]() ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-U | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250 | Solar panels | 1986 | 2002 | 33 (1) | |
Buran | ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO | Energia | 10 | 36.37 | 4.65 [note 13] | 105,000 | Fuel cells | 30,000 [note 14] | N/A (1988) | (1988) | 0 (1) |
Soyuz-TMA 11F732 | ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250 | Solar panels | 2002 | 2012 | 22 | |
Soyuz TMA-M 11F747 | ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,150 | Solar panels | 2010 | 2016 | 19 | |
Shenzhou | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-2.1a | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,080 | Solar panels | 2016 | Active | 22 (2) | |
Crew Dragon | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | Boeing | LEO | Atlas V | 7 [note 15][5] | 5.03 [6] | 4.56 [6] | 13,000 | Solar panels | 2024 (2019) | Active | 1 (2) | |
Orion | ![]() | 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 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 | ![]() | Indian Space Research Organization | LEO | GSLV Mk III | 3 | 7 | 3.5 | 7,800 | Solar Panels | (Planned: 2024) | Planned | 0 | |
Starship | ![]() | SpaceX | Solar System[7][note 17] | Starship | 100 [note 18] | 55 [7] | 9 [7][note 19] | 1,335,000 [7] | Solar Panels | (Planned: 2023) [7] | Testing | 0 | |
Orel | ![]() | RKK Energia | LEO,Lunar | Irtysh (rocket) Angara A5 | 6 | 6.1 | 37,478 | Solar panels | (Planned: 2028) | Planned | 0 | ||
Dream Chaser | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | Blue Origin | LEO | New Glenn | 7 | 98 | 7 | TBA | Planned | 0 | |||
Nyx | ![]() ![]() | The Exploration Company | LEO,Lunar | Ariane 6 or Falcon 9 | 4 | 8,000 | Solar panels | 4,000 LEO, 2,000 Lunar | TBA | Planned | 0 |
Suborbital space vehicles
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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | Blue Origin | 119 km | New Shepard BE-3 | 6 | 18 | 3.7 | 75,000 [note 26] | Batteries | 2021 (2015) | 6 (17) | ||
Spica Rocket | ![]() | Copenhagen Suborbitals | 105 km | BPM100 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 4,100 | Batteries | 2025 | Early Development | 0 | |
SpaceShip III | ![]() | 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] |
Footnotes
- ^ Including 2 suborbital flights, not including boilerplate tests
- ^ One uncrewed launch on Titan IIIC ahead of proposed use in MOL programme
- ^ a b Not including boilerplate tests
- ^ No missions carried more than eight astronauts, although higher crew sizes were theoretically possible, for example recovering the crew of a stranded orbiter.
- ^ Wingspan 23.79m
- ^ Includes two fatal accidents; STS-51-L disintegrated during ascent, STS-107 damaged during ascent, disintegrated during reentry.
- ^ Crewed flights include one launch failure - abort during third stage flight, recovered after suborbital flight
- ^ Able to carry three cosmonauts without spacesuits, or two with spacesuits; both combinations flown
- ^ Uncrewed flight count includes two launch failures
- ^ Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 1 lost due to parachute failure upon landing.
- ^ Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 11 depressurised during reentry.
- ^ Crewed flights include one launch failure (SAS (launch escape system) used ~70 seconds before planned liftoff due to fire on launch pad - crew survived)
- ^ Wingspan 23.92m
- ^ planned payload, never used
- ^ Each mission in the Commercial Crew Program will send up to four astronauts to the ISS
- ^ Including uncrewed test in 2014
- ^ Designed to land almost everywhere in the solar system
- ^ Number of seats will be lower on early missions
- ^ Plus delta wings
- ^ Including wings
- ^ Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
- ^ Does not include only-U.S.-recognized spaceflights
- ^ Does not include atmospheric flights, or missions considered spaceflights by the US definition but not the FAI's definition
- ^ 2 crew + 6 passengers
- ^ Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
- ^ todate only 45,000
- ^ 2 crew + 6 passengers
- ^ Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
See also
- Cargo spacecraft (robotic resupply spacecraft)
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
- Comparison of orbital rocket engines
- Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
- Human spaceflight
References
- ^ Clark, Stephen (7 December 2019). "After redesigns, the finish line is in sight for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
'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".
- ^ "Falcon 9". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "SpaceX Brochure – 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "SpaceX's Crew Dragon ready for first test flight – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ Reichhardt, Tony (August 2018). "Astronauts, Your Ride's Here!". Air & Space/Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ a b Burghardt, Mike (August 2011). "Boeing CST-100: Commercial Crew Transportation System" (PDF). Boeing. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Making Life Multiplanetary" (PDF). SpaceX. 2017-10-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
- ^ "Dream Chaser Model Drops in at NASA Dryden" (Press release). Dryden Flight Research Center: NASA. 2010-12-17. Archived from the original on 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
- ^ Chang, Kenneth (2011-02-01). "Businesses Take Flight, With Help From NASA". New York Times. p. D1. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2014). "Dream Chaser". Encyclopedia Astronautix. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
- ^ Sirangelo, Mark (August 2011). "NewSpace 2011: Sierra Nevada Corporation". Spacevidcast. Retrieved 2011-08-16. Sirangelo, Mark (24 August 2014). "Flight Plans and Crews for Commercial Dream Chaser's First Flights: One-on-One Interview With SNC VP Mark Sirangelo (Part 3)". AmericaSpace.