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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Rockets & Spacecraft

Spacecraft

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈspeɪskræft/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, spacecraft means: Any vehicle designed to travel or operate in space, with or without a crew, such as a satellite, a probe or a crew capsule.

In Turkish: uzay aracı, uzay gemisi

How it is used

The standard general term in agency and engineering English. People launch, operate and control a spacecraft and report on 'spacecraft health'. Like 'aircraft', the plural is the same: two spacecraft.

Example sentences

  1. Engineers lost contact with the spacecraft for a few hours during the solar storm.

  2. Both spacecraft are healthy and on course for Mars.

Common collocations

  • crewed spacecraft
  • robotic spacecraft
  • control the spacecraft
  • spacecraft health
  • spacecraft design
  • satelliteAn object that orbits a planet or another body. Most often it means a machine sent into orbit for communication, navigation, weather forecasting or observation.
  • space probeA robotic spacecraft without a crew that is sent to study planets, moons, comets or deep space and sends its data back to Earth.
  • crew capsuleThe small spacecraft that carries astronauts to and from space. It sits on top of a rocket for launch and returns to Earth under parachutes.
  • launch vehicleA rocket designed to carry a payload from Earth's surface into space. The term covers all its stages, engines and boosters together.
  • landerA spacecraft designed to land on the surface of a planet, moon, asteroid or comet and usually stay in one place to make measurements.

More terms: Rockets & Spacecraft

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