Comparison of crewed space vehicles

Short description: none

A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry people to and from outer space.

## Contents

* 1 Table code key
* 2 Orbital and interplanetary space vehicles
* 3 Suborbital space vehicles
* 4 Footnotes
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## Table code key

| Spacecraft under development

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| 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  | Recovery method  | Payload (kg)  | First spaceflight §  | Last spaceflight  | Flights §

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Mercury |  USA  | McDonnell Aircraft
North American Aviation | LEO
attained | Redstone MRLV
Atlas LV-3B | 1 | 3.34 | 1.89 | 1,400  | Batteries  | Parachute splashdown (one drogue, one main)  |  | 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  | Parachute splashdown (one drogue, one main)  |  | 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  | Parachute splashdown (two drogues, three pilots, three mains)  |  | 1967 (1966)  | 1975 | 15
(4)[note 3]
Space Shuttle orbiter |  USA  | Rockwell International | LEO | Space Shuttle | 8[note 4] | 37.24 | 4.8[note 5] | 109,000 | Fuel cells  | Runway landing (with one pilot and one drogue chute from mid-1990s)  | 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 | 6,830  | Batteries  | Parachute landing  |  | 1973 | 1981 | 26 (4)[note 7]
Voskhod |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Voskhod | 3[note 8] | 5 | 2.4 | 5,682  | Batteries  | Parachute landing  |  | 1964 (1964)  | 1965 | 2 (3)
Vostok |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO
first | Vostok-K | 1 | 4.4 | 2.43 | 4,725 | Batteries  | Parachute landing  |  | 1961 (1960)  | 1963 | 6 (7)[note 9]
Soyuz 7K-OK |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,560  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1967 (1966)  | 1970 | 8 (8)[note 10]
Soyuz 7KT-OK  |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,790  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1971 | 1971 | 2[note 11]
Soyuz 7K-T-AF |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1973 | 1973 | 1
Soyuz 7K-TM |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,570  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1974 | 1975 | 2 (2)
Soyuz 7K-MF6 |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz-U | 2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,510  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1976 | 1976 | 1
Soyuz-T |  Soviet Union  | OKB-1  | LEO | Soyuz-U
Soyuz-U2 | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 6,850  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1978 | 1986 | 15 (6)[note 12]
Soyuz-TM |  Soviet Union
Russia  | RKK Energia  | LEO | Soyuz-U2
Soyuz-U | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 1986 | 2002 | 33 (1)
Buran |  Soviet Union  | RKK Energia  | LEO | Energia  | 10 | 36.37 | 4.65 [note 13] | 105,000  | Fuel cells  | Runway landing with three drogue chutes  | 30,000 [note 14] | N/A (1988) | (1988) | 0 (1)
Soyuz-TMA
11F732 |  Russia  | RKK Energia  | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,250  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing with retrorockets  |  | 2002 | 2012 | 22
Soyuz TMA-M
11F747 |  Russia  | RKK Energia  | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,150 | Solar panels  | Parachute landing with retrorockets  |  | 2010 | 2016 | 19
Shenzhou |  China  | China Academy of Space Technology  | LEO | Chang Zheng 2F | 3 | 9.25 | 2.80 | 7,840 | Solar panels  | Parachute landing  |  | 2003 (1999)  | Active | 12 (5)
Soyuz MS
|  Russia  | RKK Energia  | LEO | Soyuz-2.1a  | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | 7,080  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing with retrorockets |  | 2016 | Active | 22 (2)
Crew Dragon |  USA  | SpaceX | LEO | Falcon 9  | 4[1] | 8.1[2] | 3.7[3] | 12,055[4] | Solar Panels  | Parachute splashdown (two drogues, four mains), propulsive landing or splashdown for emergencies[5] | 3,307/2,507 | 2020 (2019)  | Active | 19 (1)
CST-100 Starliner |  USA  | Boeing | LEO | Atlas V | 7 [note 15][6] | 5.03 [7] | 4.56 [7] | 13,000  | Solar panels  | Parachute landing (two forward cover chutes, two drogues, three pilots and three mains) with airbags |  | 2024 (2019)  | Active | 1 (2)
Orion |  USA  | Lockheed Martin
Astrium | Lunar, Mars | Space Launch System | 4[note 16] | 3.3 | 5 |  8,900 capsule +
12,300 service module  | Solar panels  | Parachute splashdown (two drogues, three pilots and three mains)  |  | 2025 (2014)  | Active | 2 (3)[note 17]
Starship |  USA  | SpaceX | Solar System[8][9] | Starship | 100 [10] | 55 [8] | 9 [8][11] | 1,335,000 [8] | Solar Panels  | Propulsive landing (booster stage caught by mechanical arms on the launch tower when landing on launch site)  | 100000[12] |  2023[13] | Testing[14] | 0 (12)
Mengzhou  |  China  | 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 |  India  | Indian Space Research Organization  | LEO | GSLV Mk III  | 3 | 7 | 3.5 | 7,800 | Solar Panels  | Parachute splashdown (with drogues and mains)  |  | (Planned: 2024)  | Planned | 0
Orel
|  Russia  | RKK Energia  | LEO,Lunar | Irtysh (rocket)
Angara A5 | 6 | 6.1 |  | 37,478  | Solar panels  |  |  | (Planned: 2028)  | Planned | 0
Dream Chaser |  USA  | Sierra Nevada Corporation | LEO | Vulcan Centaur  | 7 [15][16] | 9 [17] | 7 [note 18] | 11,300 [18] | Solar panels  | Runway landing  |  | TBA  | Planned | 0
Biconic Space Vehicle  |  USA  | Blue Origin | LEO | New Glenn | 7 | 98 | 7 |  |  |  |  | TBA  | Planned | 0
Nyx |  Germany  France  | The Exploration Company | LEO,Lunar | Ariane 6 or Falcon 9  | 5  |  | 2.5 | 8,000  | Solar panels  | parachute landing in water  | 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)  | Recovery method  | First spaceflight §  | Last spaceflight  | Flights §

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SpaceShipOne |  USA  | Scaled Composites | 112 km
X Prize  | White Knight
Hybrid Motor | 1 | 8.53  | 8.05  | 3,600  | Batteries  |  | Runway landing  | 2004 | 2004 | 3[note 19]
X-15 |  USA  | North American Aviation | 108 km
altitude  | B-52
Ammonia-LOX  | 1 | 15.45  | 6.8  | 15,420  | Two 28 volt-300 amp DC generators  |  | Runway landing  | 1963[note 20] | 1963 | 2[note 21]
SpaceShipTwo |  USA  | Virgin Galactic | 90 km  | White Knight Two
RocketMotorTwo  | 8[note 22] | 18.3  | 8.3  | 9,740  | Batteries  |  | Runway landing  | December 13, 2018  | 2024  | 2[note 23]
New Shepard |  USA  | Blue Origin | 119 km  | New Shepard
BE-3  | 6 | 18 | 3.7 | 75,000 [note 24] | Batteries  |  | Parachute landing (three drogues, three mains) with retrorockets | 2021
(2015)  |  | 14 (34)
Spica Rocket  |  Denmark  | Copenhagen Suborbitals | 105 km  | BPM100  | 1  | 13  | 1  | 4,100  | Batteries  |  | Parachute splashdown  | Planned | Early Development  | 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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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. ↑ Wingspan 23.92m
14. ↑ planned payload, never used
15. ↑ Each mission in the Commercial Crew Program will send up to four astronauts to the ISS
16. ↑ Originally set to launch up to 6 astronauts, when designed for transportation of crew to the ISS under the Constellation Program
17. ↑ Including uncrewed test in 2014
18. ↑ Including wings
19. ↑ Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
20. ↑ Does not include only-U.S.-recognized spaceflights
21. ↑ Does not include atmospheric flights, or missions considered spaceflights by the US definition but not the FAI's definition
22. ↑ 2 crew + 6 passengers
23. ↑ Does not include crewed atmospheric flights
24. ↑ to date only 45,000

## 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

1. ↑ Clark, Stephen (7 December 2019). "After redesigns, the finish line is in sight for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship". Spaceflight Now. https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/12/07/after-redesigns-the-finish-line-is-in-sight-for-spacexs-crew-dragon/. "'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"."
2. ↑ "Falcon 9". SpaceX. https://www.spacex.com/falcon9.
3. ↑ "SpaceX Brochure – 2008". https://www.spacex.com/SpaceX_Brochure_V7_All.pdf.
4. ↑ Clark, Stephen. "SpaceX's Crew Dragon ready for first test flight – Spaceflight Now" (in en-US). https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/02/28/spacexs-crew-dragon-rolls-out-for-test-flight/.
5. ↑ McCrea, Aaron (2024-10-10). "Dragon receives long-planned propulsive landing upgrade after years of development" (in en-US). https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-landing/.
6. ↑ Reichhardt, Tony (August 2018). "Astronauts, Your Ride's Here!". https://www.airspacemag.com/space/space-series-starliner-and-spacex-dragon-180969499/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Burghardt, Mike (August 2011). "Boeing CST-100: Commercial Crew Transportation System". Boeing. http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/space/ccts/docs/CCDev2 Boeing CST-100 Overview.pdf.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Making Life Multiplanetary". SpaceX. 2017-10-18. http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/making_life_multiplanetary-2017.pdf.
9. ↑ Designed to land almost everywhere in the Solar System
10. ↑ Number of seats will be lower on early missions
11. ↑ Plus delta wings
12. ↑ For starship V3
13. ↑ Wattles, Jackie; Strickland, Ashley (April 20, 2023). "SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for inaugural test flight, but explodes midair". CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/world/spacex-starship-launch-thursday-scn/index.html.
14. ↑ Final suborbital flight on May 22nd 2026
15. ↑ "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.
16. ↑ Chang, Kenneth (2011-02-01). "Businesses Take Flight, With Help From NASA". New York Times: p. D1. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/space/01private.html?_r=4&ref=science&pagewanted=all.
17. ↑ Wade, Mark (2014). "Dream Chaser". Encyclopedia Astronautix. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/drehaser.htm.
18. ↑ Sirangelo, Mark (August 2011). "NewSpace 2011: Sierra Nevada Corporation". Spacevidcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7sWtEAddkM. 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. https://www.americaspace.com/2014/08/23/flight-plans-and-crews-for-commercial-dream-chasers-first-flights-one-on-one-interview-with-snc-vp-mark-sirangelo-part-3/.

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