List of heaviest spacecraft

The heaviest artificial objects to reach space include space stations, various upper stages, and discarded Space Shuttle external tanks. Spacecraft may change mass over time such as by use of propellant.

During the Shuttle–Mir program between 1994 and 1998, the complex formed by the docking of a visiting Space Shuttle with Mir would temporarily make it heaviest artificial object in orbit with a combined mass of 250 tonnes (250 long tons; 280 short tons) in a 1995 configuration.[1][2]

Currently the heaviest spacecraft is the International Space Station, nearly double Shuttle-Mir's mass in orbit. It began assembly with a first launch in 1998, however it only attained its full weight in the 2010s, due to its modular nature and gradual additions. Its mass can change significantly depending on what modules are added or removed.

Selected spacecraft (by mass)

The following are a list of spacecraft with a mass greater than 8,000 kg (17,637 lb). All numbers listed below for satellites use their mass at launch, if not otherwise stated.

NameMassNotesOrbitStateIn service from
International Space Station419,455 kg (924,740 lb)Space stationLEOIn service1998– (at present size: 2011–)
Mir129,700 kg (285,940 lb)Soviet / Russian space stationLEODeorbited 20011986–2001
Space Shuttle122,683 kg (270,470 lb)Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-117, the heaviest flight of the Space Shuttle.LEORetired1981–2011
Buran105,000 kg (231,485 lb)Soviet reusable orbiter, made single flightLEORetired1988–1988
Skylab77,111 kg (170,001 lb)U.S. space station; largest station orbited in one launchLEODeorbited 19791973–1979
Apollo CSM28,800 kg (63,493 lb)U.S. crewed spacecraft for entering lunar orbitMoonRetired1968–1975 (Block II)
ATV20,293 kg (44,738 lb)European cargo spacecraft on its heaviest flightLEORetired2008–2014
Salyut 719,824 kg (43,704 lb)USSR space stationLEODeorbited 19911982–1991
KH-11~19,600 kg (43,211 lb)[3]Electro-optical reconnaissance satelliteSSOIn service1976– (current version: 2005–)
Salyut 118,425 kg (40,620 lb)USSR space stationLEODeorbited 19711971–1971
TKS17,510 kg (38,603 lb)Soviet crewed spacecraftLEORetired1977–1985
Proton satellite17,000 kg (37,479 lb)Space research satelliteLEODeorbited 19691965–1969
Apollo Lunar Module16,400 kg (36,156 lb)U.S. crewed lunar landerMoonRetired1968–1972
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory16,329 kg (35,999 lb)Space observatory[4]LEODeorbited 20001991–2000
Lacrosse14,500 kg (31,967 lb)-
16,000 kg (35,274 lb)
Radar imaging reconnaissance satellite[5]SSORetired1988–2005
Hubble Space Telescope11,110 kg (24,493 lb)Space observatory[6]LEOIn service1990–
Tiangong-28,600 kg (18,960 lb)Chinese space stationLEODeorbited 20192016–2019
Tiangong-18,506 kg (18,753 lb)Chinese space stationLEODeorbited 20182011–2016
Envisat8,211 kg (18,102 lb)Earth observing satellite[7][8] Kessler syndrome threat[9]LEOIn orbit, inoperable2002–2012
Comparison only
Heaviest commercial
geosynchronous
communication satellites
~7,000 kg (15,432 lb)Communications satelliteGEON/AN/A
Soyuz7,080 kg (15,609 lb)Russian crewed spacecraft (latest revision used for mass)LEOIn service1967– (current version: 2016–)
Telstar 19V7,075 kg (15,598 lb)Communications satelliteGEOIn service2018–
TerreStar-16,910 kg (15,234 lb)Communications satelliteGEOIn service2009–
EchoStar XXI6,871 kg (15,148 lb)Communications satellite[10]GEOIn service2017–
UARS6,540 kg (14,418 lb)Earth science[11]LEODeorbited 20111991–2005
Chandra X-ray Obs.5,865 kg (12,930 lb)Space observatory[12]HEOIn service1999–present
GSAT-11 5,854 kg (12,906 lb)Heaviest Indian communications satelliteGEOIn service 2018–present
Cassini-Huygens5,655 kg (12,467 lb)Saturn orbiter and Titan probe [13]SaturnDeorbited 20171997–2017
Terra4,864 kg (10,723 lb)Earth observing satelliteGEOIn service1999–
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter4,332 kg (9,550 lb)Mars orbiter (including Schiaparelli EDM lander)[14]MarsIn service2016–
GPS IIIA3,880 kg (8,554 lb)Current GPS satellite seriesMEOIn service2018–
Spektr-R (RadioAstron)3,660 kg (8,069 lb)Space observatory[15]HEOIn service2011–
Juno3,625 kg (7,992 lb)Jupiter orbiter[16]JupiterIn service2011–
Herschel3,400 kg (7,496 lb)Space observatoryEarth-Sun L2Retired2009–2013
Galileo2,562 kg (5,648 lb)Jupiter orbiter and probe[17]JupiterDeorbited 20031989–2003
MAVEN2,454 kg (5,410 lb)Mars orbiter[18]MarsIn service2013–
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter1,846 kg (4,070 lb)Lunar orbiter[19]MoonIn service2009–
Astrosat

1,513 kg (3,336 lb)

India's first dedicated multi wavelength space telescope-space observatoryNear Equatorial OrbitIn service2015–
Mars Orbiter Mission1,337.2 kg (2,948 lb) India's first Mars missionMarsIn service2013–
Venus Express1,270 kg (2,800 lb)Venus orbiterVenusDeorbited 20152005–2014
MESSENGER1,093 kg (2,410 lb)Mercury orbiter[20]MercuryDeorbited 20152011–2015
Voyager 1 / Voyager 2815 kg (1,797 lb)Outer planets / interstellar space[21]Solar EscapeIn service1977–
New Horizons465 kg (1,025 lb)Pluto/Kuiper belt probe[22]Solar EscapeIn service2006–

See also

References

  1. David S. F. Portree (March 1995). "Mir Hardware Heritage" (PDF). NASA Sti/Recon Technical Report N. NASA. 95: 23249. Bibcode:1995STIN...9523249P. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2007.
  2. "Mir Space Station". nasa.gov. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. Richelson, Jeffrey T. (2001). The Wizards of Langley. Inside the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology. Westview Press, Boulder. ISBN 0-8133-4059-4.p.199-200
  4. "Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  5. "Onyx 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Lacrosse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  6. "Fact Sheet". ESA/Hubble. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  7. "Envisat Space Segment". ESA Earth Online. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  8. "Envisat Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  9. Gini, Andrea (25 April 2012). "Don Kessler on Envisat and the Kessler Syndrome". Space Safety Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  10. "EchoStar 21". Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. Justin Mullins; Paul Marks (20 September 2011). "Hardy 6-tonne satellite falls to Earth". New Scientist. Retrieved 25 September 2014. "This is the largest NASA satellite to come back uncontrolled for quite a while," says Nick Johnson, chief scientist for NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
  12. "Chandra X-ray Observatory Quick Facts". Marshall Space Flight Center. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  13. "Cassini". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  14. Elizabeth Gibney (11 March 2016). "Mars launch to test collaboration between Europe and Russia". Nature News. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  15. "RadioAstron User Handbook" (PDF). RadioAstron Science and Technical Operations Group. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  16. "Juno Mission to Jupiter" (PDF). NASA FACTS. NASA. April 2009. p. 1. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  17. "Galileo Jupiter Arrival" (PDF) (Press Kit). NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. December 1995. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  18. Graham, William (17 November 2013). "Atlas V launches MAVEN en route to Martian adventure". NasaSpaceFlight.com.
  19. "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  20. "MESSENGER". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  21. "Voyager 1". Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  22. "New Horizons Pluto Kuiper Belt Flyby". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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