spacecraft orbital vehicle redirects here for other uses see orbital vehicle disambiguation more than 100 soviet and russian soyuz manned spacecraft tma version shown have flown since 1967 and now support the international space station the us space shuttle flew 135 times from 1981 to 2011 supporting spacelab mir and the iss columbias first launch which had a white external tank shown a spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes including communications earth observation meteorology navigation space colonization planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo all spacecraft except singlestagetoorbit vehicles cannot get into space on their own and require a launch vehicle carrier rocket on a suborbital spaceflight a space vehicle enters space and then returns to the surface without having gone into an orbit for orbital spaceflights spacecraft enter closed orbits around the earth or around other celestial bodies spacecraft used for human spaceflight carry people on board as crew or passengers from start or on orbit space stations only whereas those used for robotic space missions operate either autonomously or telerobotically robotic spacecraft used to support scientific research are space probes robotic spacecraft that remain in orbit around a planetary body are artificial satellites only a handful of interstellar probes such as pioneer 10 and 11 voyager 1 and 2 and new horizons are on trajectories that leave the solar system orbital spacecraft may be recoverable or not by method of reentry to earth they may be divided in nonwinged space capsules and winged spaceplanes humanity has achieved space flight but only a few nations have the technology for orbital launches russia rsa or roscosmos the united states nasa the member states of the european space agency esa japan jaxa china cnsa india isro taiwan israel isa iran isa and north korea nada history see also history of spaceflight the first artificial satellite sputnik 1 it was launched by the soviet union a german v2 became the first spacecraft when it reached an altitude of 189km in june 1944 in peenemnde germany apart from its value as a technological first sputnik 1 also helped to identify the upper atmospheric layers density through measuring the satellites orbital changes it also provided data on radiosignal distribution in the ionosphere pressurized nitrogen in the satellites false body provided the first opportunity for meteoroid detection sputnik 1 was launched during the international geophysical year from site no15 at the 5th tyuratam range in kazakh ssr now at the baikonur cosmodrome the satellite travelled at 29000 kilometers 18000mi per hour taking 962 minutes to complete an orbit and emitted radio signals at 20005 and 40002mhz while sputnik 1 was the first spacecraft to orbit the earth other manmade objects had previously reached an altitude of 100km which is the height required by the international organization fdration aronautique internationale to count as a spaceflight this altitude is called the krmn line in particular in the 1940s there were several test launches of the v2 rocket some of which reached altitudes well over 100km spacecraft types manned spacecraft see also list of manned spacecraft and human spaceflight apollo 17 command module in lunar orbit as of 2016 only three nations have flown manned spacecraft ussrrussia usa and china the first manned spacecraft was vostok 1 which carried soviet cosmonaut yuri gagarin into space in 1961 and completed a full earth orbit there were five other manned missions which used a vostok spacecraft the second manned spacecraft was named freedom 7 and it performed a suborbital spaceflight in 1961 carrying american astronaut alan shepard to an altitude of just over 187 kilometers 116mi there were five other manned missions using mercury spacecraft other soviet manned spacecraft include the voskhod soyuz flown unmanned as zondl1 l3 tks and the salyut and mir manned space stations other american manned spacecraft include the gemini spacecraft apollo spacecraft the skylab space station and the space shuttle with undetached european spacelab and private us spacehab space stationsmodules china developed but did not fly shuguang and is currently using shenzhou its first manned mission was in 2003 except for the space shuttle all of the recoverable manned orbital spacecraft were space capsules manned space capsules soviet vostok capsule american mercury gemini and apollo spacecraft soviet voskhod variant of vostok 1967 sovietrussian soyuz spacecraft chinese shenzhou the international space station manned since november 2000 is a joint venture between russia the united states canada and several other countries spaceplanes spaceplane columbia orbiter landing some reusable vehicles have been designed only for manned spaceflight and these are often called spaceplanes the first example of such was the north american x15 spaceplane which conducted two manned flights which reached an altitude of over 100km in the 1960s the first reusable spacecraft the x15 was airlaunched on a suborbital trajectory on july 19 1963 the first partially reusable orbital spacecraft a winged noncapsule the space shuttle was launched by the usa on the 20th anniversary of yuri gagarins flight on april 12 1981 during the shuttle era six orbiters were built all of which have flown in the atmosphere and five of which have flown in space enterprise was used only for approach and landing tests launching from the back of a boeing 747 sca and gliding to deadstick landings at edwards afb california the first space shuttle to fly into space was columbia followed by challenger discovery atlantis and endeavour endeavour was built to replace challenger when it was lost in january 1986 columbia broke up during reentry in february 2003 the first automatic partially reusable spacecraft was the buranclass shuttle launched by the ussr on november 15 1988 although it made only one flight and this was unmanned this spaceplane was designed for a crew and strongly resembled the us space shuttle although its dropoff boosters used liquid propellants and its main engines were located at the base of what would be the external tank in the american shuttle lack of funding complicated by the dissolution of the ussr prevented any further flights of buran the space shuttle was subsequently modified to allow for autonomous reentry in case of necessity per the vision for space exploration the space shuttle was retired in 2011 due mainly to its old age and high cost of program reaching over a billion dollars per flight the shuttles human transport role is to be replaced by spacexs dragon v2 and boeings cst100 starliner no later than 2017 the shuttles heavy cargo transport role is to be replaced by expendable rockets such as the space launch system and spacexs falcon heavy scaled composites spaceshipone was a reusable suborbital spaceplane that carried pilots mike melvill and brian binnie on consecutive flights in 2004 to win the ansari x prize the spaceship company will build its successor spaceshiptwo a fleet of spaceshiptwos operated by virgin galactic was planned to begin reusable private spaceflight carrying paying passengers in 2014 but was delayed after the crash of vss enterprise unmanned spacecraft see also list of unmanned spacecraft by program timeline of spaceflight timeline of artificial satellites and space probes list of solar system probes space probe robotic spacecraft unmanned resupply spacecraft and satellite hubble space telescope jules verne automated transfer vehicle atv approaches the international space station on monday march 31 2008 mariner 10 diagram of trajectory past planet venus designed as manned but flown as unmanned only spacecraft zondl1 lunar flyby capsule l3 capsule and lunar lander tks capsule buranclass shuttle soviet shuttle semimanned manned as space stations or part of space stations progress unmanned ussrrussia cargo spacecraft tks unmanned ussrrussia cargo spacecraft and space station module automated transfer vehicle atv unmanned european cargo spacecraft hii transfer vehicle htv unmanned japanese cargo spacecraft spacex dragon unmanned private spacecraft tianzhou 1 spacecraft chinas unmanned spacecraft earthorbit satellites explorer 1 first us satellite project score first communications satellite solar and heliospheric observatory soho orbits the sun near l1 sputnik 1 worlds first artificial satellite sputnik 2 first animal in orbit laika korablsputnik 2 first capsule recovered from orbit vostok precursor animals survived syncom first geosynchronous communications satellite hubble space telescope largest orbital observatory x37 spaceplane lunar probes clementine us navy mission orbited moon detected hydrogen at the poles kaguya jpn lunar orbiter luna 1 first lunar flyby luna 2 first lunar impact luna 3 first images of lunar far side luna 9 first soft landing on the moon luna 10 first lunar orbiter luna 16 first unmanned lunar sample retrieval lunar orbiter very successful series of lunar mapping spacecraft lunar prospector confirmed detection of hydrogen at the lunar poles lunar reconnaissance orbiter identifies safe landing sites and locates moon resources lunokhod soviet lunar rovers smart1 esa lunar impact surveyor usas first soft lander change 1 chinas change lunar mission change 2 chinas change lunar mission change 3 chinas change lunar mission chandrayaan 1 first indian lunar mission artists conception of cassinihuygens as it enters saturns orbit artists conception of the phoenix spacecraft as it lands on mars planetary probes akatsuki jpn a venus orbiter cassinihuygens first saturn orbiter and titan lander curiosity rover sent to mars by nasa in 2012 galileo first jupiter orbiter and descent probe ikaros jpn first solarsail spacecraft mariner 4 first mars flyby first close and high resolution images of mars mariner 9 first mars orbiter mariner 10 first mercury flyby first close up images mars exploration rover spirit and opportunity mars rovers mars express a mars orbiter mars global surveyor a mars orbiter mars orbiter mission mangalyaan indias first interplanetary probe mars reconnaissance orbiter an advanced climate imaging subsurface radar and telecommunications mars orbiter messenger first mercury orbiter arrival 2011 mars pathfinder a mars lander and rover new horizons first pluto flyby arrival 2015 pioneer 10 first jupiter flyby first close up images pioneer 11 second jupiter flyby and first saturn flyby first close up images of saturn pioneer venus first venus orbiter and landers vega 1 balloon release into venus atmosphere and lander joint mission with vega 2 mothership continued on to fly by halleys comet venera 4 first soft landing on another planet venus viking 1 first soft landing on mars voyager 2 jupiter flyby saturn flyby and first flybysimages of neptune and uranus other deep space space probe cluster deep space 1 deep impact genesis hayabusa near earth asteroid rendezvous stardust stereo heliospheric and solar sensing first images of the entire sun wmap fastest spacecraft helios i and ii solar probes 252792kmh or 157078mph furthest spacecraft from the sun pioneer 10 at 11407 au as of january 2016 traveling outward at about 25 auyear pioneer 11 at 1114 au as of july 2015 traveling outward at about 24 auyear voyager 1 at 1357 au as of august 2016 traveling outward at about 36 auyear voyager 2 at 1114 au as of august 2016 traveling outward at about 33 auyear unfunded and canceled programs the first test flight of the delta clipperexperimental advanced dcxa a prototype launch system manned spacecraft chinese shuguang capsule soviet soyuz kontakt capsule soviet almaz space station us manned orbiting laboratory space station us altair lunar lander multistage spaceplanes us x20 spaceplane soviet spiral shuttle sovietrussian buranclass shuttle esa hermes shuttle kliper russian semishuttlesemicapsule japanese hopex shuttle chinese shuguang project 9213 shuttle ssto spaceplanes rrbritish aerospace hotol esa hopper orbiter us dcx delta clipper us roton rotoredhybrid us venturestar spacecraft under development the orion spacecraft manned usnasa orion multipurpose crew vehicle capsule usspacex dragon v2 capsule usboeing cst100 capsule ussierra nevada corporation dream chaser orbital spaceplane usthe spaceship company spaceshiptwo suborbital spaceplane usblue origin new shepard vtvl capsule usxcor lynx rocketplane suborbital spaceplane china shenzhou 3 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 4 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 5 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 6 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 7 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 8 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 9 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 10 spacecraft cargo indiadrdo avatar rlv under development first demonstration flight planned in 2015 indiaisro gaganyaan capsule indiaisro rlv technology demonstration programme spacecraft spacex reusable rocket bfr russiarka prospective piloted transport system ppts capsule europeesa advanced crew transportation system capsule iranian space agency orbital vehicle capsule unmanned esa jaxa bepicolombo planetary probe to mercury china shenzhou 1 spacecraft cargo china shenzhou 2 spacecraft cargo cnes mars netlander orbital sciences cygnus cargo delivery to the iss darwin14 esa probe james webb space telescope delayed mars 2020 rover reaction engines limited skylon spacex dragon cargo delivery to the iss starchip and sprites miniaturized interstellar spacecraft system f6a darpa fractionated spacecraft demonstrator terrestrial planet finder cancelled probe subsystems a spacecraft system comprises various subsystems depending on the mission profile spacecraft subsystems comprise the spacecrafts bus and may include attitude determination and control variously called adac adc or acs guidance navigation and control gnc or gnc communications comms command and data handling cdh or cdh power eps thermal control tcs propulsion and structures attached to the bus are typically payloads life support spacecraft intended for human spaceflight must also include a life support system for the crew reaction control system thrusters on the front of the us space shuttle attitude control a spacecraft needs an attitude control subsystem to be correctly oriented in space and respond to external torques and forces properly the attitude control subsystem consists of sensors and actuators together with controlling algorithms the attitudecontrol subsystem permits proper pointing for the science objective sun pointing for power to the solar arrays and earth pointing for communications gnc guidance refers to the calculation of the commands usually done by the cdh subsystem needed to steer the spacecraft where it is desired to be navigation means determining a spacecrafts orbital elements or position control means adjusting the path of the spacecraft to meet mission requirements command and data handling the cdh subsystem receives commands from the communications subsystem performs validation and decoding of the commands and distributes the commands to the appropriate spacecraft subsystems and components the cdh also receives housekeeping data and science data from the other spacecraft subsystems and components and packages the data for storage on a data recorder or transmission to the ground via the communications subsystem other functions of the cdh include maintaining the spacecraft clock and stateofhealth monitoring further information onboard data handling communications spacecraft both robotic and crewed utilize various communications systems for communication with terrestrial stations as well as for communication between spacecraft in space technologies utilized include rf and optical communication in addition some spacecraft payloads are explicitly for the purpose of groundground communication using receiverretransmitter electronic technologies power spacecraft need an electrical power generation and distribution subsystem for powering the various spacecraft subsystems for spacecraft near the sun solar panels are frequently used to generate electrical power spacecraft designed to operate in more distant locations for example jupiter might employ a radioisotope thermoelectric generator rtg to generate electrical power electrical power is sent through power conditioning equipment before it passes through a power distribution unit over an electrical bus to other spacecraft components batteries are typically connected to the bus via a battery charge regulator and the batteries are used to provide electrical power during periods when primary power is not available for example when a low earth orbit spacecraft is eclipsed by earth thermal control spacecraft must be engineered to withstand transit through earths atmosphere and the space environment they must operate in a vacuum with temperatures potentially ranging across hundreds of degrees celsius as well as if subject to reentry in the presence of plasmas material requirements are such that either high melting temperature low density materials such as beryllium and reinforced carboncarbon or possibly due to the lower thickness requirements despite its high density tungsten or ablative carboncarbon composites are used depending on mission profile spacecraft may also need to operate on the surface of another planetary body the thermal control subsystem can be passive dependent on the selection of materials with specific radiative properties active thermal control makes use of electrical heaters and certain actuators such as louvers to control temperature ranges of equipments within specific ranges spacecraft propulsion spacecraft may or may not have a propulsion subsystem depending on whether or not the mission profile calls for propulsion the swift spacecraft is an example of a spacecraft that does not have a propulsion subsystem typically though leo spacecraft include a propulsion subsystem for altitude adjustments drag makeup maneuvers and inclination adjustment maneuvers a propulsion system is also needed for spacecraft that perform momentum management maneuvers components of a conventional propulsion subsystem include fuel tankage valves pipes and thrusters the thermal control system interfaces with the propulsion subsystem by monitoring the temperature of those components and by preheating tanks and thrusters in preparation for a spacecraft maneuver structures spacecraft must be engineered to withstand launch loads imparted by the launch vehicle and must have a point of attachment for all the other subsystems depending on mission profile the structural subsystem might need to withstand loads imparted by entry into the atmosphere of another planetary body and landing on the surface of another planetary body payload the payload depends on the mission of the spacecraft and is typically regarded as the part of the spacecraft that pays the bills typical payloads could include scientific instruments cameras telescopes or particle detectors for example cargo or a human crew ground segment ground segment the ground segment though not technically part of the spacecraft is vital to the operation of the spacecraft typical components of a ground segment in use during normal operations include a mission operations facility where the flight operations team conducts the operations of the spacecraft a data processing and storage facility ground stations to radiate signals to and receive signals from the spacecraft and a voice and data communications network to connect all mission elements launch vehicle the launch vehicle propels the spacecraft from earths surface through the atmosphere and into an orbit the exact orbit being dependent on the mission configuration the launch vehicle may be expendable or reusable spaceflight portal astrionics flying saucer list of fictional spacecraft newspace spacecraft design space exploration space launch space suit spaceflight records starship timeline of solar system exploration us space exploration history on us stamps notes bibliography knight will january 23 2006 spacecraft skin heals itself new scientist retrieved february 11 2008 wertz james larson wiley j 1999 space mission analysis and design 3rd ed torrance california microcosm isbn9781881883104 spacecraftat wikipedias sister projects definitions from wiktionary media from wikimedia commons nasa space science spacecraft missions nssdc master catalog spacecraft query form early history of spacecraft basics of spaceflight tutorial from jplcaltech international spaceflight museum vtespaceflightgeneral astrodynamics history timeline space race asian space race records accidents and incidents space policy china european union india japan russia soviet union united states space law outer space treaty rescue agreement space liability convention registration convention moon treaty private spaceflight applications astronomy earth observation archaeology imagery and mapping reconnaissance weather and environment monitoring satellite communications internet radio telephone television satellite navigation commercial use of space space launch market competition militarisation of space space architecture space exploration space research space technology space weather human spaceflightgeneral astronaut life support system animals in space bioastronautics space suit extravehicular activity weightlessness space toilet space tourism space colonization programs vostok mercury voskhod gemini soyuz apollo skylab apollosoyuz space shuttle mir shuttlemir international space station shenzhou tiangong health issues effect of spaceflight on the human body space adaptation syndrome health threat from cosmic rays psychological and sociological effects of spaceflight space and survival space medicine space nursing spacecraft launch vehicle rocket spaceplane robotic spacecraft satellite space probe lander rover selfreplicating spacecraft spacecraft propulsion rocket engine electric propulsion solar sail gravity assist destinations suborbital orbital geocentric geosynchronous interplanetary interstellar intergalactic space launch direct ascent escape velocity expendable and reusable launch systems launch pad nonrocket spacelaunch spaceport ground segment flight controller ground station pass mission control center space agencies conae asa aeb csa cnsa esa cnes dlr isro lapan isa isa asi jaxa nada kari suparco roscosmos snsa ssau uksa nasa category portal wikiproject authority control gnd 40485791 