The four currently active space station cargo vehicles. Clockwise from top left: Progress, Cargo Dragon 2, Cygnus, Tianzhou.
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
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
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
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 5 ES
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]
Cargo Dragon
USA
SpaceX
Falcon 9
8.1
6,400
3,307 [ 5]
9.3 / 37
2,507[ 5]
4.0
Yes
Operational
Enhanced Cygnus
USA
Northrop Grumman
Antares Atlas V Falcon 9
6.39
1,800 [ 16]
3,750
27 [ 16]
None
3.07
3,500
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 [ 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
7.89
5,000
36
None
3.07
3,500
Planned
Under construction[ 22]
Dragon XL
USA
SpaceX
Falcon 9
5,000[ 23]
None
Yes[ 23]
Development[ 24]
Argo
Europe
Rocket Factory Augsburg
3,400
<13
Greater than or equal to 1 Ton [ 25]
Yes
Development[ 26]
NYX
Europe
The Exploration Company
4,000
2500 pressurized and 100 unpressurized[ 27]
Yes
Development[ 28]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
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^ "Progress M" . Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2012 .
^ a b c "Cygnus Fast Sheet" (PDF) . Orbital Sciences Co. Retrieved 7 August 2013 .
^ "The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012" (PDF) . Federal Aviation Administration. February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013 .
^ "SpaceX Brochure v7" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012 .
^ a b c Audit of Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Station Archived 30 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Overall Dragon Capabilities" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2016-07-21 .
^ "Falcon 9 launches Dragon on CRS-1 mission to the ISS" . 7 October 2012.
^ "Dragonlab Datasheet" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2012 .
^ Clark, Stephen. "With successful splashdown, SpaceX retires first version of Dragon spacecraft – Spaceflight Now" . Retrieved 2020-04-10 .
^ a b c "ESA Automated Transfer Vehicle" . ESA. Retrieved 7 August 2013 .
^ "ATV Utilization Relevant Data" (PDF) . Retrieved 29 May 2012 .
^ a b c d "JAXA transition examination of the new space station supply machine (HTV-X)" (PDF) . JAXA. Retrieved 6 February 2018 .
^ "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 .
^ a b Jones, Andrew (10 May 2023). "Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft reaches China's Tiangong space station" . spacenews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023 .
^ "Upgraded Progress MS docks with the ISS" . NASASpaceflight.com. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015 .
^ a b "Cygnus Spacecraft Information" . Spaceflight101 . Archived from the original on 2015-09-09.
^ Meredith Garofalo (February 2, 2024). "Sierra Space unveils Dream Chaser space plane ahead of 1st flight to ISS (video)" . Space.com .
^ a b Brian Wang (January 22, 2024). "Sierra Space Spaceplane and Space Stations" . Next Big Future.
^ "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 .
^ "HTV-X, the new unmanned spacecraft now being developed by JAXA" . JAXA. Retrieved November 23, 2022 .
^ Funding for HTV-X development was included in the FY 2016 JAXA budget
^ Parsonson, Andrew (2024-05-14). "Thales Alenia Space Delivers Pressurized Module for 21st Cygnus Spacecraft" . European Spaceflight . Retrieved 2024-06-20 .
^ a b "NASA picks SpaceX to deliver cargo to Gateway station in lunar orbit – Spaceflight Now" . Retrieved 2023-06-07 .
^ Foust, Jeff (2023-02-24). "NASA plans to start work this year on first Gateway logistics mission" . SpaceNews . Retrieved 2023-06-07 .
^ Parsonson, Andrew (20 September 2023). "RFA-Led Consortium Submit Argo for ESA Commercial Cargo Initiative" . European Spaceflight . Retrieved 22 September 2023 .
^ Rocket Factory Augsburg. "One (c)argo capsule, tons of possibilities!" . Twitter . Retrieved 21 September 2023 .
^ Parsonson, Andrew (23 February 2022). "The Exploration Company aims to offer Europe independent access to space" . European Spaceflight . Retrieved 22 September 2023 .
^ The Exploration Company. "Missions" . Retrieved 22 September 2023 .