spacecraft
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spacecraft
Explanation
A spacecraft is a vehicle designed to travel beyond Earth's atmosphere. In 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module was the first crewed spacecraft to land on the Moon. Rockets, space shuttles, satellites, and the International Space Station are all examples of spacecraft. Any machine, device, or vehicle that's designed to travel in outer space falls into this category, whether or not it carries humans. Spacecraft is a more scientific term than spaceship — but both words were originally used in 19th- and 20th-century science fiction.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Paiva also hopes to examine whether materials besides methane, including compounds released from spacecraft components such as paint and rubber, could contaminate scientifically important lunar sites.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
They also anticipate progress in the reusability of its spacecraft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The space-systems division makes spacecraft and related components.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Launched on Friday, the spacecraft will spend the next few weeks waking up its systems one-by-one: power, navigation, the cameras and sensors it will rely on, and check that each one survived the ride.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Just then, I heard the muffled roar of approaching spacecraft and knew it must be the Sixers.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
