spacecraft
Americannoun
noun
Other Word 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.
MIT engineers are developing a new spacecraft propulsion system that combines the strengths of traditional chemical rockets with the efficiency and precision of electric thrusters.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
Charlotte Fox, a graduate systems engineer at Leonardo who studied spacecraft engineering, hosted a panel talking about careers in the space sector.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
The primary goals of the trip include testing the abilities of NASA's Orion spacecraft, as well as a rendezvous with lunar landers developed by the private space companies SpaceX and Blue Origin.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Small reactors also could be used to power spacecraft over longer distances, including to Mars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
We had flown the little spacecraft beyond its physical capabilities, zipped past jagged mountains and over the gouges and tears of primordial bombardment, admired all the moon’s craters, its mares, and its mountains.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
