ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spacecraft

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈspeɪsˌkɹæft// UK //spˈeɪskɹɑːft// space·craft

n. a vehicle designed to travel or operate in space. It can carry people or be controlled by computers from Earth.

n. a vehicle or machine designed for flight or operation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Refers to both crewed and uncrewed vessels.


SIMPLE

The spacecraft entered the planet's orbit this morning.

CONTEXTUAL

Engineers spent years testing the spacecraft's heat shield to ensure it could survive the intense friction of atmospheric reentry.

COMPLEX

Modern spacecraft rely on sophisticated autonomous systems to navigate the vast distances between celestial bodies where real-time communication with ground control is impossible due to signal delay.

Origin

From space + -craft.

Usage

The plural form is identical to the singular ('one spacecraft', 'two spacecraft').

Pitfall

The two spacecrafts landed safely.The two spacecraft landed safely.The plural of spacecraft is spacecraft; adding an 's' is a common error.

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