noun
Uncommon
spacecraft
SPAYS-kraft
Spacecraft (noun) means a vehicle designed to travel through space. Example: “The spacecraft docked with the space station without incident.”
noun
1
A vehicle designed to travel through space.
"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."
— John Schwartz, No Problems Seen for Shuttle Landing (2008)
"The spacecraft docked with the space station without incident."
"The spacecraft sent back photographs of a distant, icy moon."
"Engineers checked every part of the spacecraft before the long journey."
"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."
— , Proba-3 Testing Milestones Completed at Redwire’s Facility Ahead of 2024 Launch (2024)
How to use spacecraft
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAny vehicle built to fly through space.
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Word forms
- Plural
- spacecrafts
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ docked with the space station without incident.
Etymology
From space + -craft, on the pattern of "aircraft."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for spacecraft
See all rhymes for spacecraft →Frequently asked questions
What does “spacecraft” mean?
The word “spacecraft” means a vehicle designed to travel through space. In plain terms, any vehicle built to fly through space.
How do you pronounce “spacecraft”?
“Spacecraft” is pronounced SPAYS-kraft (/ˈspeɪsˌkɹæft/ in IPA).
How do you use “spacecraft” in a sentence?
Here is “spacecraft” used in a sentence: “The spacecraft docked with the space station without incident.”
What part of speech is “spacecraft”?
“Spacecraft” is a noun.
Is “spacecraft” a common word?
“Spacecraft” is an uncommon word in modern English.
What is the difference between a spacecraft and a satellite?
A spacecraft is any vehicle designed to travel through space, which can include crewed or uncrewed missions that travel to other locations. A satellite is a specific type of spacecraft or object that orbits a body such as Earth, and not all spacecraft are satellites.
Is a rocket the same as a spacecraft?
No, a rocket is typically the propulsion system used to launch a spacecraft beyond Earth's atmosphere, while the spacecraft itself is the vehicle that carries out the mission in space. Some vehicles combine both functions, but the terms describe different roles.
Is spacecraft singular or plural?
Spacecraft is one of the few English nouns that keeps the same form in both singular and plural, so you would say "one spacecraft" and "several spacecraft" without adding an -s.
