Comparison of space station cargo vehicles

A collage of automated cargo spacecraft used in the past or present to resupply the International Space Station

A number of different spacecraft have been used to carry cargo to and from space stations.

Table code key

Spacecraft under development
Spacecraft is operational or inactive
Retired or cancelled spacecraft
§ Pressurized / Unpressurized payload capacity

Orbital space vehicles

Spacecraft Origin Manufacturer Launch system Length (m) Dry mass (kg) Launch mass (kg) Payload (kg) § Payload volume (m3) § Return payload (kg) Diameter (m) Generated power (W) Automated docking Status (No. Flights)
TKS  Soviet Union TsKBM Proton-K 17.51 13,688 21,620 12,600 4.15 2,400 No Retired (4)
Progress 7K-TG  Soviet Union Energia Soyuz-U None No Retired (43)
Progress-M
11F615A55
 Soviet Union
 Russia
Energia Soyuz-U
Soyuz-U2
7.2 7,130 2,600 7.6 150[a] 2.72 600[1] Yes Retired (66)
Progress-M1
 Russia Energia Soyuz-U
Soyuz-FG
None Yes Retired (11)
Progress-M
11F615A60
 Russia Energia Soyuz-U
Soyuz-2.1a
7.2 7,150 2,230 7.6 None 2.72 700 Yes Retired (27 + 2 failed)
Cygnus (standard)  USA Orbital Antares 1x0 5.14 1,500[2] 2,000[2] 18.9[2] None 3.07 3,500[3] No Retired (3 + 1 failed)
Dragon (reusable)  USA SpaceX Falcon 9 6.1 4,200[4] 10,200[b] 3,310 (max) 2,200 (ave)[c][5] 10.0 / (14 or 34)[d][6] 3,000[e][7] 3.7 2,000[8] No Retired (19 + 1 failed)[9]
ATV  Europe EADS Ariane 5ES 10.3 10,470[10] 20,750[10] 7,667[10] 48 None 4.5 3,800[11] Yes Retired (5)
HTV  Japan JAXA H-IIB 10 10,500[12] 16,500[12] 3,000 / 1,000[12] 14 / 16[12] 20[f][13] 4.4 200 No Retired (9)
Tianzhou
(basic)
 China CAST Long March 7 10.6 13,500 6,900[g][14] 18.1 None 3.35 Yes Retired (5)
Progress-MS  Russia Energia Soyuz-U
Soyuz-2.1a
7.2 7,150 2,230 None Yes Operational[15]
Dragon 2 cargo (reusable)  USA SpaceX Falcon 9 8.1 6,400 3,307[5] 9.3 / 37 2,507[5] 4.0 Yes Operational
Cygnus (enhanced)  USA Northrop Grumman Antares 230
Antares 230+
Atlas V 401
Antares 330
Falcon 9
6.34 1,800[16] 3,750 27[16] None 3.07 No Operational
Tianzhou (improved)  China CAST Long March 7 10.6 14,000 7,400[h][14] 22.5 (~40 total) None 3.35 Yes Operational
Dream Chaser Cargo System (reusable)  USA Sierra Space Vulcan Centaur 16.8[17] 5,000 / 500[18] 1,750[18] Yes Development
HTV-X  Japan JAXA H3 Launch Vehicle[19] 10[i] 8,300 16,000, combined[20] 4,069 / 1,750 78[j] 4.4 1,000 No[k] Development[21]
Cygnus (Mission B)  USA Northrop Grumman Antares 330 5,000
Dragon XL  USA SpaceX Falcon 9 5,000[22] None Yes[22] Development[23]
Argo  Europe Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) Launch Vehicle Ambiguous 3,400 <13 Greater than or equal to 1 Ton [24] Yes Development[25]
NYX  Europe The Exploration Company Launch Vehicle Ambiguous 4,000 2500 pressurized and 100 unpressurized[26] Yes Development[27]

Notes

  1. ^ With optional Raduga capsule.
  2. ^ 4,200kg dry mass + 6,000kg up mass
  3. ^ In any combination of pressurized or unpressurized.
  4. ^ 34 unpressurized with extended trunk
  5. ^ Capsule return.
  6. ^ With optional HSRC.
  7. ^ Including propellant.
  8. ^ Including propellant.
  9. ^ 10 with cargo module, 6.2 without.
  10. ^ Combined.
  11. ^ Technology trial of an automated IDSS docking port fitted in place of unpressurised cargo module being planned.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Progress M". Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Cygnus Fast Sheet" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Co. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  3. ^ "The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  4. ^ "SpaceX Brochure v7" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Audit of Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Station Archived 30 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Overall Dragon Capabilities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  7. ^ "Falcon 9 launches Dragon on CRS-1 mission to the ISS". 7 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Dragonlab Datasheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  9. ^ Clark, Stephen. "With successful splashdown, SpaceX retires first version of Dragon spacecraft – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  10. ^ a b c "ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle". ESA. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  11. ^ "ATV Utilization Relevant Data" (PDF). Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d "JAXA transition examination of the new space station supply machine (HTV-X)" (PDF). JAXA. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. ^ "HTV 搭載小型回収カプセルの開発" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  14. ^ a b Jones, Andrew (10 May 2023). "Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft reaches China's Tiangong space station". spacenews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Upgraded Progress MS docks with the ISS". NASASpaceflight.com. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Cygnus Spacecraft Information". Spaceflight101. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09.
  17. ^ Meredith Garofalo (February 2, 2024). "Sierra Space unveils Dream Chaser space plane ahead of 1st flight to ISS (video)". Space.com.
  18. ^ a b Brian Wang (January 22, 2024). "Sierra Space Spaceplane and Space Stations". Next Big Future.
  19. ^ "H3,H-IIA/Bのミッション割当て(案)" (PDF) (in Japanese). MEXT. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  20. ^ "HTV-X, the new unmanned spacecraft now being developed by JAXA". JAXA. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  21. ^ Funding for HTV-X development was included in the FY 2016 JAXA budget
  22. ^ a b "NASA picks SpaceX to deliver cargo to Gateway station in lunar orbit – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  23. ^ Foust, Jeff (2023-02-24). "NASA plans to start work this year on first Gateway logistics mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  24. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (20 September 2023). "RFA-Led Consortium Submit Argo for ESA Commercial Cargo Initiative". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  25. ^ Rocket Factory Augsburg. "One (c)argo capsule, tons of possibilities!". Twitter. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  26. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (23 February 2022). "The Exploration Company aims to offer Europe independent access to space". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  27. ^ The Exploration Company. "Missions". Retrieved 22 September 2023.
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