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 space vehicles

Spacecraft Origin Manufacturer Range Launchsystem 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 United Space Alliance 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 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 Solar panels 1967 (1966) 1970 8 (8)[note 10]
Soyuz 7KT-OK  Soviet Union OKB-1 LEO Soyuz 3 7.48 2.72 Solar panels 1971 1971 2[note 11]
Soyuz 7K-T-AF  Soviet Union OKB-1 LEO Soyuz 2 7.48 2.72 Solar panels 1973 1973 1
Soyuz 7K-TM  Soviet Union OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-U 2 7.48 2.72 Solar panels 1974 1975 2 (2)
Soyuz 7K-MF6  Soviet Union OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-U 2 7.48 2.72 Solar panels 1976 1976 1
Soyuz-T  Soviet Union OKB-1 LEO Soyuz-U
Soyuz-U2
3 7.48 2.72 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 Solar panels 1986 2002 33 (1)
Buran  Soviet Union RKK Energia LEO Energia 10 36.37 Fuel cells N/A (1988) (1988) 0 (1)
Soyuz-TMA
11F732
 Russia RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-FG 3 7.48 2.72 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 7
(4)
Soyuz MS
 Russia RKK Energia LEO Soyuz-FG 3 7.48 2.72 Solar panels 2016 Active 3
Crew Dragon  USA SpaceX LEO Falcon 9 7[note 13][1] 8.1[2] 3.7[3] 12,055[4] Solar Panels 3,307/2,507 2020 (2019) Active 2 (1)
CST-100 Starliner  USA Boeing LEO multiple, initially Atlas V 7 [note 13][1] 5.03 [5] 4.56 [5] Solar panels Planned: 2021 (2019) Testing 0 (1)
Orion  USA Lockheed Martin
Astrium
Lunar, Mars Delta IV Heavy
Space Launch System
6 3.3 5 8,900 capsule +
12,300 service module
Solar panels 2022 (2014) Testing 0 (1)[note 14]
Next-gen crew spacecraft  China China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation LEO, Lunar Long March 5B 7 8.8 4.5 21,600 Solar panels 2022 (2020) Testing 0
(1)
Gaganyaan  India Hindustan Aeronautics Limited LEO GSLV Mk III 3 7 3.5 7,800 Solar Panels (2021) Planned 0
Starship  USA SpaceX Solar System [6][note 15] Super Heavy 100 [note 16] 55 [6] 9 [6][note 17] 1,335,000 [6] Solar Panels Planned: 2022
(Planned: Q2 2020) [6]
Testing 0
Orel
 Russia RKK Energia Lunar Irtysh (rocket)
Angara A5
4 Solar panels Planned: 2023 Planned 0
Dream Chaser  USA Sierra Nevada Corporation LEO multiple, initially Atlas V 7 [7][8] 9 [9] 11,300 [10] TBA Planned 0
Biconic Space Vehicle  USA Blue Origin LEO New Glenn TBA Planned 0

Suborbital space vehicles

Spacecraft Origin Manufacturer Range 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 2004 2004 3[note 18]
X-15  USA North American Aviation 108 km
altitude
B-52
Ammonia-LOX
1 15.45 6.8 15,420 1963[note 19] 1963 2[note 20]
SpaceShipTwo  USA The Spaceship Company 90 km White Knight Two
RocketMotorTwo
8[note 21] 18.3 8.3 9,740 December 13 2018 2[note 22]
New Shepard  USA Blue Origin 119 km New Shepard

BE-3

6 Planned: 2021
(2015)
0(12)
Chinese winged rocket  China ? 100 KM TBD 5 Planned:2020 0

Footnotes

  1. Including 2 suborbital flights, not including boilerplate tests
  2. One uncrewed launch on Titan IIIC ahead of proposed use in MOL programme
  3. Not including boilerplate tests
  4. No missions carried more than eight astronauts, although higher crew sizes were theoretically possible, for example recovering the crew of a stranded orbiter.
  5. Wingspan 23.79m
  6. Includes two fatal accidents; STS-51-L disintegrated during ascent, STS-107 damaged during ascent, disintegrated during reentry.
  7. Crewed flights include one launch failure - abort during third stage flight, recovered after suborbital flight
  8. Able to carry three cosmonauts without spacesuits, or two with spacesuits; both combinations flown
  9. Uncrewed flight count includes two launch failures
  10. Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 1 lost due to parachute failure upon landing.
  11. Crewed flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 11 depressurised during reentry.
  12. Crewed flights include one launch failure (SAS (launch escape system) used ~70 seconds before planned liftoff due to fire on launch pad - crew survived)
  13. Each mission in the Commercial Crew Program will send up to four astronauts to the ISS
  14. Including uncrewed test around 2014
  15. Designed to land almost everywhere in the solar system
  16. Number of seats will be lower on early missions
  17. Plus delta wings
  18. Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
  19. Does not include only-U.S.-recognized spaceflights
  20. Does not include atmospheric flights, or missions considered spaceflights by the US definition but not the FAI's definition
  21. 2 crew + 6 passengers
  22. Does not include crewed atmospheric flights

See also

References

  1. Reichhardt, Tony (August 2018). "Astronauts, Your Ride's Here!". Air & Space/Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. "Falcon 9". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. "SpaceX Brochure – 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  4. Clark, Stephen. "SpaceX's Crew Dragon ready for first test flight – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. 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.
  6. "Making Life Multiplanetary" (PDF). SpaceX. 2017-10-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  7. "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.
  8. 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  9. Wade, Mark (2014). "Dream Chaser". Encyclopedia Astronautix. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-29.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  10. 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.
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