Comparison of manned space vehicles

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,canceled] — [operational,inactive]

Spacecraft	Origin	Manufacturer	Range	Launch system	Crew size	Length (m)	Diameter (m)	Launch mass (kg)	Power system	Generated power (W)	First flight*	Last flight	Flights*
Apollo	USA	North American Aviation Grumman and Douglas	Lunar	Saturn IB Saturn V	3		3.91	5,500 CM + 14,700 LM 24,500 Service Module	Fuel cells		1967 (1966)	1975	15 (4)[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 1]
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 3]
Shenzhou	China		LEO	Chang Zheng 2F	3	9.25	2.80	7,840	Solar panels	1,450	2003 (1999)	Active	5 (5)
Voskhod	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Voskhod	3[note 4]	5	2.4		Batteries	n/a	1964 (1964)	1965	2 (3)
Vostok	USSR	OKB-1	LEO first	Vostok-K	1	4.4	2.43	4,725	Batteries	n/a	1961 (1960)	1963	6 (7)[note 5]
Soyuz 7K-OK	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz	3	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1967 (1966)	1970	8 (8)[note 6]
Soyuz 7KT-OK	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz	3	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1971	1971	2[note 7]
Soyuz 7K-T	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz Soyuz-U	2	7.48	2.72		Batteries		1973	1981	26 (4)[note 8]
Soyuz 7K-T-AF	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz	2	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1973	1973	1
Soyuz 7K-TM	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz-U	2	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1974	1975	2 (2)
Soyuz 7K-MF6	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz-U	2	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1976	1976	1
Soyuz-T	USSR	OKB-1	LEO	Soyuz-U Soyuz-U2	3	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1978	1986	15 (6)[note 9]
Soyuz-TM	USSR  Russia	RKK Energia	LEO	Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-U	3	7.48	2.72		Solar panels		1986	2002	33 (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				Solar panels		2016
Biconic Space Vehicle	USA	Blue Origin	LEO	Orbital Reusable Booster System
CST-100	USA	Boeing	LEO	multiple, initially Atlas V	7 [1]	5.03 m [2]	4.56 m [2]
Dream Chaser Space System	USA	Sierra Nevada Corporation	LEO	multiple, initially Atlas V	7 [3][4]	9.0 m [5]		11,300 kg [6]
Federatsiya ?	Russia	RKK Energia	LEO						Solar panels		2021 or later
Space Shuttle orbiter	USA	United Space Alliance	LEO	Space Shuttle	8[note 10]			109,000	Fuel cells		1981	2011	135[note 11]
Orion	USA	Lockheed Martin Astrium	Mars	Delta IV Heavy Space Launch System	4		5	8,900 Capsule 12,300 Service Module	Solar Panels		Planned: 2021 (2014)		0 (1)[note 12]
Dragon V2	USA	SpaceX	Lunar	Falcon 9 full thrust	7[note 13]		3.7		Solar Panels		Planned: 2017 (2016)		0

* - Format: Manned (Unmanned), includes failures

Suborbital space vehicles

Legend for below table:   [under development] — [retired,canceled] — [operational,inactive]

Spacecraft	Origin	Manufacturer	Range	Launch system	Crew size	Length (m)	Diameter (m)	Launch mass (kg)	Power system	Generated power (W)	First flight*	Last flight	Flights*
SpaceShipOne	USA	Scaled Composites	112 km X Prize	White Knight Hybrid Motor	3			3,600			2004	2004	3[note 14]
X-15	USA	North American Aviation	108 km altitude	B-52 Ammonia-LOX	1			15,420			1963	1963	2[note 15]
New Shepard	USA	Blue Origin		N/A							(2015)		0 (2)[note 15]
SpaceShipTwo	USA	The Spaceship Company	110 km Kármán line+10	White Knight Two RocketMotorTwo	8[note 16]			9,740			2016 ?		0[note 17]

* - Format: Manned (Unmanned), includes failures

Footnotes

1. Not including Boilerplate tests
2. One unmanned launch on Titan IIIC ahead of proposed use in MOL programme
3. Including 2 suborbital flights, not including Boilerplate tests
4. Able to carry three cosmonauts without spacesuits, or two with spacesuits; both combinations flown
5. Unmanned flight count includes two launch failures
6. Manned flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 1 lost due to parachute failure upon landing.
7. Manned flights include one fatal in-flight failure; Soyuz 11 depressurised during reentry.
8. Manned flights include one launch failure - abort during third stage flight, recovered after suborbital flight
9. Manned flights include one launch failure (SAS (launch escape system) used ~70 seconds before planned liftoff due to fire on launch pad - crew survived)
10. No missions carried more than eight astronauts, although higher crew sizes were theoretically possible, for example recovering the crew of a stranded orbiter.
11. Includes two fatal accidents; STS-51-L disintegrated during ascent, STS-107 damaged during ascent, disintegrated during reentry.
12. Including unmanned test around 2014
13. Number of seats will probably be a multiple of the 3 crew member rotations for the ISS
14. Does not include manned atmospheric flights
15. Does not include atmospheric flights, or missions considered spaceflights by the US definition but not the internationally-accepted definition
16. 2 crew + 6 passengers
17. 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

1. "Commercial Human Spaceflight Plan Unveiled". Aviation Week. July 20, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
2. Burghardt, Mike (August 2011). "Boeing CST-100: Commercial Crew Transportation System" (PDF). Boeing. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
3. "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.
4. 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.
5. Wade, Mark (2014). "Dream Chaser". Encyclopedia Astronautix. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
6. 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.