spacefaring
adjective
space·far·ing
ˈspās-ˌfer-iŋ 
: having vehicles capable of traveling beyond the earth's atmosphere
spacefaring nations
Examples of spacefaring in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although the overall risk of harm to people is low—there is only a 0.5 percent chance of injury or death to a human, based on one model—these risks are nonetheless higher than accepted by most spacefaring nations, said Ted Muelhaupt, a reentry and debris expert at The Aerospace Corporation.
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2022
The baseline is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by all spacefaring nations, including the U.S., Russia, and China.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2012
Last month, a bunch of rocket scientists, microbiologists and entrepreneurs gathered in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center to discuss — in level and serious tones — how to become a spacefaring civilization.
—Sarah Scoles, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2014
In 2003, Brazil had high hopes to become a spacefaring nation.
—Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 25 Oct. 2022
Long in the making, the UK is about to, once again, become a spacefaring nation.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strained international activities in space, scuttling several missions and stressing decades of collaboration among spacefaring nations.
—Micah Maidenberg, WSJ, 26 July 2022
Once a realm dominated by just a few spacefaring nations, the cosmos is opening up to nascent space programs around the world, to entrepreneurs and innovators, to commercial companies and even to students.
—NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022
The prospects for China supporting the mission seem promising, with the country eager to cement its spacefaring capabilities after already returning samples from the moon, landing on Mars and building a crewed space station in low-Earth orbit.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2022
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2022
The baseline is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by all spacefaring nations, including the U.S., Russia, and China.
—Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2012
Last month, a bunch of rocket scientists, microbiologists and entrepreneurs gathered in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center to discuss — in level and serious tones — how to become a spacefaring civilization.
—Sarah Scoles, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2014
In 2003, Brazil had high hopes to become a spacefaring nation.
—Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 25 Oct. 2022
Long in the making, the UK is about to, once again, become a spacefaring nation.
—WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strained international activities in space, scuttling several missions and stressing decades of collaboration among spacefaring nations.
—Micah Maidenberg, WSJ, 26 July 2022
Once a realm dominated by just a few spacefaring nations, the cosmos is opening up to nascent space programs around the world, to entrepreneurs and innovators, to commercial companies and even to students.
—NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022
The prospects for China supporting the mission seem promising, with the country eager to cement its spacefaring capabilities after already returning samples from the moon, landing on Mars and building a crewed space station in low-Earth orbit.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 6 Jan. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spacefaring.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
space entry 1 + seafaring
First Known Use
1952, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near spacefaring
Cite this Entry
“Spacefaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spacefaring. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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