spacecraft

spacecraft — noun

1. a machine built to travel and operate beyond Earth's atmosphere, used to carry a

1.nounB1
Definition

a machine built to travel and operate beyond Earth's atmosphere, used to carry astronauts, satellites, or scientific equipment into space

Example

The cargo spacecraft docked with the space station at dawn, carrying two tonnes of supplies.

collocation: cargo spacecraft / docked with the space station

Emre hopes to work on the spacecraft that will carry people to the Moon.

Common collocations
  • manned spacecraft
  • unmanned spacecraft
  • cargo spacecraft
  • crewed spacecraft
  • robotic spacecraft
Synonyms
  • spaceship

    more informal and strongly associated with science fiction; spacecraft is the standard technical and journalistic term

  • probe

    specifically refers to an uncrewed spacecraft sent to collect data from distant planets, moons, or other bodies

  • orbiter

    a spacecraft designed to circle a planet or moon without landing; a subtype rather than a full synonym

Usage Note

Plural is also spacecraft (not 'spacecrafts'). The word appears frequently in news reporting on space exploration and in technical discussions of space missions.

Common Mistakes

Two spacecrafts landed safely on Mars.
Two spacecraft landed safely on Mars.
The plural form of 'spacecraft' is the same as the singular; adding -s is incorrect.

Word family

  • space
    nounA2
  • spaceship
    nounB1
  • spaceflight
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spacecraft is the broadest and most neutral term for any vehicle that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere. It is the standard word in news, engineering, and official contexts. Spaceship is more informal and strongly associated with science fiction and popular culture — a real NASA engineer would talk about a spacecraft, not a spaceship. A probe is an uncrewed spacecraft designed specifically to collect scientific data from targets such as planets, moons, or asteroids (e.g., the Voyager probes). A satellite is a type of spacecraft that orbits a larger body (such as Earth) rather than travelling between destinations. For example: 'The Perseverance probe is a robotic spacecraft exploring Mars,' while 'The International Space Station is not a spacecraft that travels — it is an orbiting satellite.'

spacecraft ↗spaceshipprobe ↗satellite ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • spacecraft design
  • spacecraft mission
  • spacecraft launch
  • spacecraft engineer
  • spacecraft commander

Prepositions

  • in a spacecraft
  • on a spacecraft
  • aboard a spacecraft

Etymology

LatinFrenchOld EnglishEnglish

The word spacecraft combines space (from Old French espace, from Latin spatium 'area, room, distance') and craft (from Old English cræft 'skill, strength, a vehicle'). It was coined in the early 20th century, appearing in the 1920s and 1930s as the idea of practical space travel began to take hold in science and fiction.