spacecraft

noun

space·​craft ˈspās-ˌkraft 

: a vehicle or device designed for travel or operation outside the earth's atmosphere

Examples of spacecraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Space Reactor-1 Freedom will be the first spacecraft to use nuclear electric propulsion for an interplanetary mission, targeting a launch before 2028. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026

While no moon landing is in store for the astronauts, the mission will serve a vital role in testing the systems and hardware on the spacecraft needed for future expeditions to the lunar surface. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026

The flow around the spacecraft erodes the surface, and particles get ejected as a constant stream. —Julian Dossett, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2026

Only spacecraft that are small enough to be battery- or solar-powered, such as the Voyager and Juno missions, have reached these outer realms of our solar system. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for spacecraft

• allograft
• autograft
• autographed
• countershaft
• handicraft
• homograft
• hovercraft
• lithographed
• overdraft
• photographed
• rotorcraft
• telegraphed

Kids Definition

spacecraft

noun

space·​craft ˈspā-ˌskraft 

plural spacecraft

: a vehicle for travel beyond the earth's atmosphere