Re-Entry Vehicles

Apollo

Apollo Command Module NASA USA

The Apollo Command Module (CM) was the crewed capsule used in the Apollo lunar missions, designed for deep-space travel and high-speed Earth re-entry.

Habitable Volume:6.2 m³

Mass:5,900 kg

Payload Capacity

Crew: Up to 3 astronauts

Cargo: Lunar rock samples (~110 kg max)

Landing Site: Pacific Ocean (splashdown)

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues, three mains

Mission Duration: Up to 14 days (Apollo lunar missions)

Buran

Buran Soviet Union USSR/Russia

Buran was the Soviet Union’s first and only reusable spaceplane, designed as a response to the U.S. Space Shuttle program. It completed one uncrewed orbital flight in 1988 before the program was canceled.

Habitable Volume: 80 m³

Mass: 105,000 kg (231,000 lb)

Payload Capacity:

Cargo: Up to 30,000 kg (66,000 lb) to orbit

Return Cargo: 15,000 kg (33,000 lb)

Landing Site: Runway landing (autonomous glide capability)

Landing System: Glide landing with retractable landing gear

Mission Duration: Designed for 30 days, first mission lasted 206 minutes

Dream Chaser

Dream Chaser Sierra Space USA

Dream Chaser is a reusable lifting-body spacecraft designed for cargo and future crewed missions to the ISS and beyond. It is unique for its runway-based landings.

Habitable Volume: 16.5 m³

Mass: 11,300 kg

Payload Capacity:

Cargo: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) to orbit

Return Cargo: 1,750 kg (3,860 lb)

Landing Site: Runway landing (similar to the Space Shuttle)

Landing System: Glide landing with retractable landing gear

Mission Duration: Up to 210 days docked at the ISS

Dragon

There are two variants of Dragon 2: Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon. Crew Dragon is capable of autonomous operation and is designed to carry up to seven astronauts.

Habitable Volume: 9.3 m³

Mass: 9,600 kg

Payload Capacity: 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) to orbit

3,307 kg (7,291 lb) to ISS

2,507 kg (5,527 lb) return cargo

800 kg (1,800 lb) disposed cargo

Landing Site: Ocean

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues and four mains

Mission Duration: Typically, 180 days docked at the ISS, up to 210 days max

Fanhui Shi Weixing

A spacecraft module inside a large hangar with tools and chairs around it.

Fanhui Shi Weixing (FSW) CNSA China

Fanhui Shi Weixing (FSW) was China’s first-generation recoverable satellite series, used for Earth observation, reconnaissance, and scientific experiments. It was later replaced by Shenlong and future reusable spacecraft.

Habitable Volume: N/A (uncrewed)

Mass: 2,800–3,600 kg

Payload Capacity:

Cargo: Photographic film, scientific instruments (~250 kg max)

Landing Site: Inner Mongolia, China (parachute landing)

Landing System: Parachute – single drogue, single main

Mission Duration: Up to 18 days in orbit

Gaganyaan

A space capsule with the Indian flag and

Gaganyaan ISRO India

Gaganyaan is India’s first crewed spacecraft, developed by ISRO for low Earth orbit (LEO) missions and future lunar exploration. It is designed for short-duration missions with a three-astronaut crew capacity.

Habitable Volume: 8.0 m³

Mass: 8,200 kg

Payload Capacity:

Crew: Up to 3 astronauts

Cargo: 100 kg to LEO

Landing Site: Indian Ocean or land-based recovery sites

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues, three mains

Mission Duration: Up to 7 days

Next-Generation Chinese Crew Capsule

A spacecraft module inside a high-tech facility with dark walls and vertical LED lights.

Next-Generation Chinese Crew Capsule CNSA China

China’s Next-Generation Crew Capsule (NGCC) is a modern deep-space vehicle, designed for lunar and future Mars missions. It is expected to replace Shenzhou for crewed spaceflight.

Habitable Volume: 21 m³

Mass: 22,000 kg (48,500 lb)

Payload Capacity:

Crew: Up to 6 astronauts

Cargo: 500 kg of lunar samples

Landing Site: Inner Mongolia, China

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues, three mains, retrorockets for Soft touchdown

Mission Duration: Designed for lunar and interplanetary missions (up to 6 months docked at Gateway)

Orion

Orion NASA USA

Orion is NASA’s deep-space crew capsule, designed for Artemis lunar missions and beyond-Earth orbit exploration. It is built to carry astronauts to the Moon and Mars.

Habitable Volume: 9.0 m³

Mass: 25,800 kg

Payload Capacity:

Crew: Up to 4 astronauts

Cargo: 100 kg of lunar samples

Landing Site: Pacific Ocean

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues, three mains

Mission Duration: Up to 21 days uncrewed, up to 6 months docked at Gateway

Progress

Progress Roscosmos Russia

The Progress spacecraft is an uncrewed cargo resupply vehicle used by Roscosmos to deliver supplies, fuel, and equipment to the International Space Station (ISS) and previously to Mir. It is based on the Soyuz design but lacks a crew module and features an automated docking system.

Habitable Volume: 7.6 m³

Mass: 7,290 kg (16,080 lb)

Payload Capacity:

Cargo to ISS: 2,500 kg (5,510 lb)

Fuel Transfer: 880 kg (1,940 lb)

Water Supply: 420 kg (930 lb)

Pressurized Cargo: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)

Disposal Cargo: Up to full capacity

Landing Site: Destructive reentry over the Pacific Ocean

Landing System: None (disintegrates upon reentry)

Mission Duration: Typically 180–250 days docked at the ISS

Progress is one of the longest-operating resupply spacecraft. Variants include Progress-M, Progress-MS, and fuel tanker versions.

Soyuz

Remains of a spacecraft crash site with a group of investigators and emergency responders examining the wreckage on a barren landscape, with a helicopter in the background.

Soyuz Roscosmos Russia

Soyuz is a three-module spacecraft used for crew transport to the ISS and other low Earth orbit missions. It has been in operation since 1967 and is known for its reliability.

Habitable Volume: 7.5 m³

Mass: 7,200 kg

Payload Capacity:

Crew: 3 astronauts

Cargo: 100 kg to ISS

Return Cargo: 50 kg

Landing Site: Kazakhstan (steppes near Dzhezkazgan)

Landing System: Parachute – single drogue, single main, retrorockets for final touchdown

Mission Duration: Typically up to 210 days docked at the ISS

Starliner

People working on a black and gray spacecraft in a desert landscape with mountains in the background. The spacecraft is surrounded by large beige airbag-like cushions and orange traffic cones.

Starliner Boeing USA

Starliner is a commercial crew vehicle developed by Boeing for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, used for transporting astronauts to the ISS.

Habitable Volume: 11 m³

Mass: 13,000 kg

Payload Capacity:

Crew: Up to 7 astronauts

Cargo: 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) to ISS

Return Cargo: 545 kg (1,200 lb)

Landing Site: Southwestern USA (land-based landings)

Landing System: Parachute – two drogues, three mains, airbag-assisted touchdown

Mission Duration: Up to 210 days docked at the ISS

Shenzhou

A spacecraft capsule inside a building, supported by a stand, with some equipment and workers nearby.

Shenzhou CNSA China

Shenzhou is China’s human-rated spacecraft, designed based on the Soyuz system, but larger with enhanced capabilities. It is used for ISS-equivalent missions aboard Tiangong.

Habitable Volume: 14 m³

Mass: 8,100 kg

Payload Capacity:

Crew: 3–6 astronauts

Cargo: 300 kg to Tiangong

Return Cargo: 100 kg

Landing Site: Inner Mongolia, China

Landing System: Parachute – single drogue, single main, retrorockets for soft landing

Mission Duration: Up to 200 days docked at Tiangong

Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle NASA USA

The Space Shuttle was NASA’s first reusable crewed spacecraft, used from 1981 to 2011 for LEO, ISS construction, satellite deployment, and science missions.

Habitable Volume: 71.5 m³ (Orbiter crew cabin)

Mass: 110,000 kg (242,500 lb) empty

Payload Capacity:

Cargo: Up to 24,400 kg (53,800 lb) to orbit

Return Cargo: Up to 14,400 kg (31,700 lb)

Landing Site: Runway landing (Edwards AFB, Kennedy Space Center, White Sands)

Landing System: Glide landing with retractable landing gear

Mission Duration: Up to 17 days per mission

Starship

A SpaceX Falcon rocket on a launch pad with a tall tower in the background.

Starship SpaceX USA

Starship is a fully reusable, next-generation spacecraft developed by SpaceX for crew and cargo missions to LEO, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. It is the largest and most powerful spacecraft ever built.

Habitable Volume: 1,000 m³

Mass: 120,000 kg (264,500 lb) empty

Payload Capacity:

LEO: Up to 150,000 kg (330,700 lb)

Lunar Cargo: 100,000 kg (220,000 lb)

Mars Cargo: 100,000 kg (220,000 lb)

Landing Site: Vertical landing on Earth, Moon, or Mars

Landing System: Controlled descent using Raptor engines (flip maneuver for Earth landing)

Mission Duration: Designed for long-duration deep-space missions (up to several months or years in transit)

RLV-TD

Large spacecraft mock-up or prototype in a laboratory setting with people working around it.

RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator) ISRO India

The RLV-TD is India’s prototype spaceplane, developed by ISRO as a technology demonstrator for a future fully reusable orbital vehicle. It successfully performed an atmospheric test flight in 2016 and a landing experiment in 2023.

Habitable Volume: N/A (uncrewed prototype)

Mass: 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) for prototype

Payload Capacity:

Future operational version expected to carry cargo and crew

Landing Site: Runway landing (autonomous glide landing on airstrips)

Landing System: Glide landing with retractable landing gear

Mission Duration: Technology demonstrator for reusable spaceflight