spacecraft
nounUS /ˈspeɪsˌkɹæft/
Etymology From space + -craft.
1
Aerospace, Astronautics, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A vehicle that travels through space.
- Today, Velcro is used for everything from keeping astronauts from floating off the floor of their spacecrafts to keeping artificial hearts in place, as well as the more mundane tasks of fastening clothing.1990 February 12, Reuters, “Georges de Mestral, 82, Inventor Who Developed Velcro in”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2022:
- The object appeared after a series of routine prelanding procedures in which the crew tested the steering jets, a test that often shakes loose objects from the spacecraft.2008 June 14, John Schwartz, “No Problems Seen for Shuttle Landing”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022:
1 more example
- For the autocompatibility test, completed with Redwire partner Airbus Defense and Space, both spacecraft were stacked together, just like they will be for launch and the first month of the mission.2024 March 5, “Proba-3 Testing Milestones Completed at Redwire’s Facility Ahead of 2024 Launch”, in Redwire Space, archived from the original on 18 Mar 2025:
- Synonyms
- spaceship, space vehicle, space vessel
- Derived terms
- multispacecraft, nanospacecraft, spacecraft bus
- Related terms
- space shuttle, timeship
- Hyponyms
- cycler, space capsule, spaceliner, spaceplane, space shuttle, starcraft, starliner, starship, star vessel
- Coordinate terms
- space station, spacesuit