spacecraft

American  

[speys-kraft, -krahft] / ˈspeɪsˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft /

noun

plural

spacecraft

1. a vehicle designed for travel or operation in space beyond the earth's atmosphere or in orbit around the earth.

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spacecraft British  

/ ˈspeɪsˌkrɑːft /

noun

1. a manned or unmanned vehicle designed to orbit the earth or travel to celestial objects for the purpose of research, exploration, etc

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Etymology

Origin of spacecraft

First recorded in 1955–60; space + craft

Example Sentences

Mr. White claims it may be possible to create a “warp drive” that would propel spacecraft faster than the speed of light by distorting spacetime using a field of negative energy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Intuitive made news when its Odysseus spacecraft landed on the moon in February 2024.

From Barron's

This type of propulsion is well known in aerospace engineering, where hydrogen peroxide is used as a fuel to launch spacecraft, but it had not previously been identified in a biological system.

From Science Daily

Endeavour will be displayed in launch position, making it the tallest authentic spacecraft displayed vertically in the world, with a height of 20 stories.

From Los Angeles Times

NASA's Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in 2029 with the goal of uncovering its origin.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• rocket
• shuttle
• space capsule
• space probe