Comparison of crewed space vehicles
Appearance
A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry people to and from space.
Orbital space vehicles
Legend for below table: [under development] — [retired] — [operational]
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* |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercury | USA | McDonnell Aircraft North American Aviation |
LEO attained |
Redstone MRLV Atlas LV-3B |
1 | 3.34 | 1.89 | 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 | 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 | 1981 | 2011 | 135[note 6] | |
Orion | USA | Lockheed Martin Astrium |
Mars | Delta IV Heavy Space Launch System |
6 | 3.3 | 5 | 8,900 Capsule 12,300 Service Module |
Solar Panels | Planned: 2021 (2014) | 0 (1)[note 7] | ||
Shenzhou | China | China Academy of Space Technology | LEO | Chang Zheng 2F | 3 | 9.25 | 2.80 | 7,840 | Solar panels | 1,450 | 2003 (1999) | Active | 7 (4) |
Gaganyaan | IND | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | LEO | GSLV Mk III | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7800 | Solar Panels | 2022 | 0 | ||
Soyuz 7K-T | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz Soyuz-U |
2 | 7.48 | 2.72 | Batteries | 1973 | 1981 | 26 (4)[note 8] | ||
Voskhod | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Voskhod | 3[note 9] | 5 | 2.4 | Batteries | n/a | 1964 (1964) | 1965 | 2 (3) | |
Vostok | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO first |
Vostok-K | 1 | 4.4 | 2.43 | 4,725 | Batteries | n/a | 1961 (1960) | 1963 | 6 (7)[note 10] |
Soyuz 7K-OK | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | Solar panels | 1967 (1966) | 1970 | 8 (8)[note 11] | ||
Soyuz 7KT-OK | Soviet Union | OKB-1 | LEO | Soyuz | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | Solar panels | 1971 | 1971 | 2[note 12] | ||
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 13] | ||
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 | (1988) | (1988) | (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 | 1,000 | 2010 | 2016 | 19 |
Soyuz MS |
Russia | RKK Energia | LEO | Soyuz-FG | 3 | 7.48 | 2.72 | Solar panels | 2016 | Active | 3 | ||
Federatsiya |
Russia | RKK Energia | Lunar | 6 | Solar panels | Planned: 2023 | 0 | ||||||
Biconic Space Vehicle | USA | Blue Origin | LEO | New Glenn | Planned date not known | 0 | |||||||
CST-100 | USA | Boeing | LEO | multiple, initially Atlas V | 7 [1] | 5.03 [2] | 4.56 [2] | Planned: 2019 | 0 | ||||
Dream Chaser Space System | USA | Sierra Nevada Corporation | LEO | multiple, initially Atlas V | 7 [3][4] | 9 [5] | 11,300 [6] | Planned date not known | 0 | ||||
Dragon V2 | USA | SpaceX | LEO | Falcon 9 Full Thrust | 7[note 14] | 8.1[7] | 3.7[8] | Solar Panels | Planned: 2018 | 0 | |||
BFR Spaceship | USA | SpaceX | Solar System[9][note 15] | BFR[9] | 100[note 16] | 48[9] | 9[9][note 17] | 1,335,000[9] | Solar Panels | Planned:2024 [9] (2022) |
0 |
- * - Format: Crewed (Uncrewed), includes failures
Suborbital space vehicles
Legend for below table: [under development] — [retired] — [operational]
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 | 1963 | 2[note 19] | ||
New Shepard | USA | Blue Origin | 103 km | N/A | 6 | Planned: 2017 (2015) |
0 (5)[note 19] | ||||||
SpaceShipTwo | USA | The Spaceship Company | 110 km Kármán line+10 |
White Knight Two RocketMotorTwo |
8[note 20] | 18.3 | 8.3 | 9,740 | Planned date not known | 0[note 21] |
- * - Format: Crewed (Uncrewed), includes failures
Footnotes
- ^ Including 2 suborbital flights, not including Boilerplate tests
- ^ One unmanned launch on Titan IIIC ahead of proposed use in MOL programme
- ^ a b Not including Boilerplate tests
- ^ No missions carried more than eight astronauts, although higher crew sizes were theoretically possible, for example recovering the crew of a stranded orbiter.
- ^ Wingspan 23.79m
- ^ Includes two fatal accidents; STS-51-L disintegrated during ascent, STS-107 damaged during ascent, disintegrated during reentry.
- ^ Including unmanned test around 2014
- ^ Manned flights include one launch failure - abort during third stage flight, recovered after suborbital flight
- ^ Able to carry three cosmonauts without spacesuits, or two with spacesuits; both combinations flown
- ^ Unmanned flight count includes two launch failures
- ^ Manned flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 1 lost due to parachute failure upon landing.
- ^ Manned flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 11 depressurised during reentry.
- ^ Manned flights include one launch failure (SAS (launch escape system) used ~70 seconds before planned liftoff due to fire on launch pad - crew survived)
- ^ Number of seats will probably be a multiple of the 3 crew member rotations for the ISS
- ^ Designed to land almost everywhere in the solar system
- ^ Number of seats will be lower on early missions
- ^ Plus delta wings
- ^ Does not include manned atmospheric flights
- ^ a b Does not include atmospheric flights, or missions considered spaceflights by the US definition but not the internationally-accepted definition
- ^ 2 crew + 6 passengers
- ^ Does not include manned atmospheric flights
See also
- Human spaceflight
- Comparison of space station cargo vehicles
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
- Comparison of orbital rocket engines
- Unmanned resupply spacecraft
References
- ^ "Commercial Human Spaceflight Plan Unveiled". Aviation Week. July 20, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Burghardt, Mike (August 2011). "Boeing CST-100: Commercial Crew Transportation System" (PDF). Boeing. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- ^
"Dream Chaser Model Drops in at NASA Dryden" (Press release). Dryden Flight Research Center: NASA. 2010-12-17. Archived from the original on 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
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Chang, Kenneth (2011-02-01). "Businesses Take Flight, With Help From NASA". New York Times. p. D1. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
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Wade, Mark (2014). "Dream Chaser". Encyclopedia Astronautix. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ 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.
- ^ "Falcon 9". SpaceX. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "SpaceX Brochure – 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f "Making Life Multiplanetary" (PDF). SpaceX. 2017-10-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.