Spacecraft are vehicles capable of controlling their trajectory through space. The first 'true spacecraft' is sometimes said to be Apollo Lunar Module, since this was the only crewed vehicle to have been designed for, and operated only in space; and is notable for its non-aerodynamic shape. Propulsion edit Spacecraft today predominantly use rockets for propulsion, but other propulsion techniques such as ion drives are becoming more common, particularly for uncrewed vehicles, and this can significantly reduce the vehicle's mass and increase its delta-v. Launch systems edit Launch systems are used to carry a payload from Earth's surface into outer space. Expendable edit Most current spaceflight uses multi-stage expendable launch systems to reach space. Reusable edit The first reusable spacecraft, the X-15, was air-launched on a suborbital trajectory on 19 July 1963. The first partially reusable orbital spacecraft, the Space Shuttle, was launched by the USA on the 20th ann...
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