A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry people to and from outer space.
Table code key Spacecraft under developmentSpacecraft is operationalRetired spacecraftPayload To / From the ISS§Crewed (Uncrewed)[Includes failures]
Orbital and interplanetary space vehicles
SpacecraftOriginManufacturerRangeLaunch systemCrew sizeLength (m)Diameter (m)Launch mass (kg)Power systemRecovery methodPayload (kg) First spaceflight §Last spaceflightFlights § Mercury McDonnell AircraftNorth American Aviation LEOattained Redstone MRLVAtlas LV-3B 1,400 BatteriesParachute splashdown (one drogue, one main) (1960) (12)Including 2 suborbital flights, not including boilerplate tests Gemini McDonnell AircraftMartin LEO Titan II GLVTitan IIICOne uncrewed launch on Titan IIIC ahead of proposed use in MOL programme 3,790 Fuel cellsParachute splashdown (one drogue, one main) (1964) (2) Apollo North American AviationGrumman and Douglas Lunar Saturn IBSaturn V 5,500 CM + 14,700 LM + 24,500 Service Module Fuel cellsParachute splashdown (two drogues, three pilots, three mains) (1966) (4)Not including boilerplate tests Space Shuttle orbiter Rockwell International LEO Space Shuttle 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 Fuel cellsRunway landing (with one pilot and one drogue chute from mid-1990s) /16,000 Includes two fatal accidents; STS-51-L disintegrated during ascent, STS-107 damaged during ascent, disintegrated during reentry. Soyuz 7K-T OKB-1 LEO SoyuzSoyuz-U 6,830 BatteriesParachute landing (4)Crewed flights include one launch failure - abort during third stage flight, recovered after suborbital flight Voskhod OKB-1 LEO Voskhod Able to carry three cosmonauts without spacesuits, or two with spacesuits; both combinations flown 5,682 BatteriesParachute landing (1964) (3) Vostok OKB-1 LEOfirst Vostok-K BatteriesParachute landing (1960) (7)Uncrewed flight count includes two launch failures Soyuz 7K-OK OKB-1 LEO Soyuz 6,560 Solar panelsParachute landing (1966) (8)Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 1 lost due to parachute failure upon landing. Soyuz 7KT-OK OKB-1 LEO Soyuz 6,790 Solar panelsParachute landing Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 11 depressurised during reentry. Soyuz 7K-T-AF OKB-1 LEO Soyuz 6,570 Solar panelsParachute landing Soyuz 7K-TM OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-U 6,570 Solar panelsParachute landing (2) Soyuz 7K-MF6 OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-U 6,510 Solar panelsParachute landing Soyuz-T OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-USoyuz-U2 6,850 Solar panelsParachute landing (6)Crewed flights include one launch failure (SAS (launch escape system) used ~70 seconds before planned liftoff due to fire on launch pad - crew survived) Soyuz-TM RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-U2Soyuz-U 7,250 Solar panelsParachute landing (1) Buran RKK Energia LEO Energia Wingspan 23.92m 105,000 Fuel cellsRunway landing with three drogue chutes 30,000 planned payload, never used N/A (1) Soyuz-TMA11F732 RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-FG 7,250 Solar panelsParachute landing with retrorockets Soyuz TMA-M11F747 RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-FG Solar panelsParachute landing with retrorockets Shenzhou China Academy of Space Technology LEO Chang Zheng 2F Solar panelsParachute landing (1999) Active (5) Soyuz MS RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-2.1a 7,080 Solar panelsParachute landing with retrorockets Active (2) Crew Dragon SpaceX LEO Falcon 9 Solar PanelsParachute splashdown (two drogues, four mains), propulsive landing or splashdown for emergencies / () Active (1) CST-100 Starliner Boeing LEO Atlas V Each mission in the Commercial Crew Program will send up to four astronauts to the ISS 13,000 Solar panelsParachute landing (two forward cover chutes, two drogues, three pilots and three mains) with airbags () Active () Orion Lockheed MartinAstrium Lunar, Mars Space Launch System Originally set to launch up to 6 astronauts, when designed for transportation of crew to the ISS under the Constellation Program 8,900 capsule + 12,300 service module Solar panelsParachute splashdown (two drogues, three pilots and three mains) (2014) Active Including uncrewed test in 2014StarshipSpaceXSolar SystemDesigned to land almost everywhere in the Solar SystemStarship Number of seats will be lower on early missions Plus delta wings Solar PanelsPropulsive landing (booster stage caught by mechanical arms on the launch tower when landing on launch site)100000For starship V3 TestingFinal suborbital flight on May 22nd 2026 (12) Mengzhou China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation LEO, Lunar Long March 10 Solar panels Testing (1) Gaganyaan Indian Space Research Organization LEO GSLV Mk III Solar PanelsParachute splashdown (with drogues and mains) (Planned: ) Planned Orel RKK Energia LEO, Lunar Irtysh (rocket)Angara A5 37,478 Solar panels (Planned: ) Planned Dream Chaser Sierra Nevada Corporation LEO Vulcan Centaur Including wings Solar panelsRunway landing TBA Planned Biconic Space Vehicle Blue Origin LEO New Glenn TBA Planned Nyx The Exploration Company LEO, Lunar Ariane 6 or Falcon 9 5 8,000 Solar panelsparachute landing in water 4,000 LEO, 2,000 Lunar TBA Planned
Suborbital space vehicles
Spacecraft Origin Manufacturer Altitude Launch system Crew size Length (m) Diameter (m) Launch mass (kg) Power systemRecovery method First spaceflight § Last spaceflight Flights § SpaceShipOne Scaled Composites 112 kmX Prize White KnightHybrid Motor 8.53 8.05 3,600 BatteriesRunway landing Does not include crewed atmospheric flights X-15 North American Aviation 108 kmaltitude B-52Ammonia-LOX 15.45 6.8 15,420 Two 28 volt-300 amp DC generators Runway landing 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 SpaceShipTwo Virgin Galactic 90 km White Knight TwoRocketMotorTwo 2 crew + 6 passengers 18.3 8.3 9,740 BatteriesRunway landing December 13, 20182024 Does not include crewed atmospheric flights New Shepard Blue Origin 119 kmNew ShepardBE-3 75,000 to date only 45,000 BatteriesParachute landing (three drogues, three mains) with retrorockets (2015)14 (34)Spica RocketCopenhagen Suborbitals105 kmBPM10011314,100BatteriesParachute splashdown PlannedEarly Development0
Footnotes
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