List of spaceplanes

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A spaceplane incorporates aspects of both aeroplanes and spacecraft. Most concepts were only capable of sub-orbital spaceflight.

Type | Country | Class | Role | Date | Status | No. | Notes

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ASSET | USA | Rocket launch | Experimental | 1963 | Prototype |  | Uncrewed reentry test vehicle.
Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar | USA | Rocket launch | Experimental | 1963 | Project |  | Crewed
Boeing X-37 | USA | Rocket launch | Utility | 2010 | Prototype |  | Robotic orbiter operated by the United States Armed Forces.
BOR-4 | USSR | Rocket launch | Experimental | 1982 | Prototype |  | Uncrewed reentry test vehicle.
Buran Shuttle | USSR | Rocket launch | Utility | 1988 | Prototype |  | Crewed orbiter, launched by the Energia rocket. Only one robotic flight was made.
Dawn Aerospace Mk.2 | The Netherlands / New Zealand | Suborbital rocket launch | Experimental | 2020 | Prototype |  | Uncrewed suborbital space plane. Horizontal takeoff and landing.
Dream Chaser | USA | Rocket launch | Utility | 2004 | Project |  | Uncrewed orbiter, originally intended as a crew vehicle. Launched by a Vulcan Centaur rocket.
HOTOL | UK | SSTO | Utility | 1988 | Project | 0 | Airbreathing rocket engine.
Interim HOTOL | UK | Air launch | Utility | 1991 | Project | 0 | Launched from the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the Buran air lift carrier aircraft.
Martin X-23 PRIME | USA | Rocket launch | Experimental | 1966 | Prototype |  | Uncrewed atmospheric re-entry test vehicle
North American X-15 | USA | Air launch | Experimental | 1959 | Prototype | 3 | Air-dropped from a Boeing B-52.
Sanger Silbervogel | Germany | Composite | Bomber | 1944 | Project | 0 | Sub-orbital. Mockup and wind tunnel models only.
Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne | USA | Composite | Transport | 2004 | Prototype | 1 | First civilian-funded reusable spacecraft, lifted by White Knight to about 14 km
Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo | USA | Composite | Transport | 2010 | Prototype | 2 | For Virgin Galactic commercial testing.
Skylon | UK | SSTO | Utility | 1993 | Project |  | Continuation of cancelled HOTOL.
Space Rider | ESA | Lifting body | Experimental | 2021 | Project |  | Robotic, orbital
Space Shuttle | USA | Rocket launch | Utility | 1981 | Retired | 4–8 | Crewed orbiter.
XCOR Lynx (formerly Xerus) | USA | Suborbital | Experimental | 2008 | Project | 0 | Horizontal takeoff and landing.

## See also

[edit]

* Lists of spacecraft
* List of space launch system designs
* Mother ship

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Spaceplanes

Canada|

* Wild Fire

China|

* Project 921-3
* Shenlong

Europe|

| Canceled|

* ARES
* Bristol Ascender, Spacebus, Spacecab
* Falke
* Hermes
* Hopper
* HOTOL
* MUSTARD
* Orizont
* S3 SOAR
* Saenger
* Silbervogel

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Historical|

* IXV

In development|

* Airbus
* Skylon
* Space Rider
* SpaceLiner

India|

| Canceled|

* AVATAR

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In development|

* RLV-TD
* Hypersonic Flight Experiment

Japan|

* HYFLEX/OREX/ALFLEX
* HOPE-X
* WIRES

Soviet Union/Russia|

* BOR-4
* BOR-5
* Buran
* Explorer
* Keldysh bomber
* Kliper
* Lapotok
* LKS
* MAKS (Molniya)
* RAKS (Tu-444/2000)
* Spiral
* Zvezda (Tu-136/139)

United States|

| Active|

* Boeing X-37

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Historical|

* North American X-15
* ASSET
* Martin X-23 PRIME
* SpaceShipOne
* Space Shuttle (program, Shuttle–Mir Program)
* SpaceShipTwo

Canceled|

* Chrysler SERV
* DARPA Falcon Project
* Martin Marietta Spacemaster
* X-20 Dyna-Soar
* Orbital Sciences X-34
* Rockwell X-30 (NASP)
* NASA X-43
* Silver Dart
* HL-20
* HL-42
* Rocketplane XP
* VentureStar
* Black Horse
* NASA X-38 (Spacewedge)
* XCOR Lynx
* Xerus
* Prometheus
* DARPA XS-1
* SpaceShipThree

In development|

* Dream Chaser
* Radian One

Black projects|

* Blackstar
* TR-3A Black Manta
* X-41 Common Aero Vehicle
* Aurora aircraft
* Military flying saucers

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Non-rocket spacelaunch

Spaceflight

Static structures|

| Compressive|

* Space tower
* Pneumatic freestanding tower

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Tensile|

| Orbiting skyhooks|

* Skyhook
* Momentum exchange tether

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Space elevators|

Space elevator

Dynamic structures|

* Space fountain
* Orbital ring
* Launch loop
* Endo-atmospheric tether

Projectile launchers|

| Electrical|

* Coilgun
* Mass driver
* Railgun
* StarTram

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Chemical|

* Space gun
* Blast wave accelerator
* Ram accelerator

Mechanical|

* Slingatron

Reaction drives|

* Air launch
* Spaceplanes
* Laser propulsion
* Beam-powered propulsion

Buoyant lifting|

* Balloon
* Buoyant space port
* High-altitude platform

See also
Rocket sled launch
Megascale engineering

* Category

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Emerging technologies

Fields|

| Transport|

| Aerial|

* Adaptive compliant wing
* Backpack helicopter
* Delivery drone
* Flying car
* High-altitude platform
* Jet pack
* Pulse detonation engine
* Scramjet
* Spaceplane
* Supersonic transport

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Land|

* Airless tire
* Alternative fuel vehicle
* Hydrogen vehicle
* Ground-effect train
* Hyperloop / Vactrain
* Maglev train
* Personal rapid transit
* Platoon
* Self-driving car
* Transit Elevated Bus
* Vehicular communication systems

Pipeline|

* Pneumatic transport
* Automated vacuum collection

* List

* v
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Spaceflight

General|

* Astrodynamics
* History
* Timeline
* Space Race
* Records
* Accidents and incidents
* Space launch
* Space policy
* Australia
* China
* European Space Agency
* European Union
* India
* Japan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Russia
* Soviet Union
* United States
* Space law
* Outer Space Treaty
* Rescue Agreement
* Space Liability Convention
* Registration Convention
* Moon Treaty
* Space warfare
* Space command
* Space force
* Militarisation of space
* Private spaceflight
* Billionaire space race

Applications|

* Astronomy
* Earth observation
* Archaeology
* Imagery and mapping
* Reconnaissance
* Weather and environment monitoring
* Communications satellite
* Internet
* Radio
* Telephone
* Television
* Satellite navigation
* Commercial use of space
* Space launch market competition
* Space architecture
* Space exploration
* Space research
* Space technology
* Space weather

Human spaceflight|

| General|

* Astronaut
* commercial
* Life-support system
* Animals in space
* Bioastronautics
* Space suit
* Extravehicular activity
* Overview effect
* Weightlessness
* Space toilet
* Space tourism
* Space colonization
* Space diving

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Programs|

* Vostok
* Mercury
* Voskhod
* Gemini
* Soyuz
* Apollo
* Skylab
* Apollo–Soyuz
* Space Shuttle
* Mir
* Shuttle–Mir
* International Space Station
* Shenzhou
* Tiangong
* New Shepard
* Artemis

Health issues|

* Effect of spaceflight on the human body
* Space adaptation syndrome
* Health threat from cosmic rays
* Space psychology
* Psychological and sociological effects
* Space and survival
* Space medicine
* Space nursing
* Space sexology

Spacecraft|

* Launch vehicle
* Rocket
* Space capsule
* Orbital module
* Reentry capsule
* Service module
* Spaceplane
* Robotic spacecraft
* Satellite
* Space probe
* Lander
* Rover
* Self-replicating spacecraft
* Space telescope
* Spacecraft propulsion
* Rocket engine
* Electric propulsion
* Solar sail
* Gravity assist

Destinations|

* Sub-orbital
* Orbital
* Geocentric
* Geosynchronous
* Interplanetary
* Interstellar
* Intergalactic

Space launch|

* Direct ascent
* Escape velocity
* Expendable and reusable launch systems
* Launch pad
* Non-rocket spacelaunch
* Spaceport

Ground segment|

* Flight controller
* Ground station
* Pass
* Mission control center

* Category
* Portal

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