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Three active crewed spacecraft carry humans to orbit across four nations.
| Attribute | Shenzhou CAST (China Academy of Space Technology) Active · Last updated 2026-06-01Trust: Operator-primaryⓘ Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Boeing | RSC Energia | CAST (China Academy of Space Technology) |
| Country | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇷🇺 Russia | 🇨🇳 China |
| Status | Active | Active | Active |
| Vehicle type | capsule | capsule | capsule |
| Reusable | Yes | No | No |
| First flight | 2024 | 2016 | 2003 |
| Crew capacity | 4 crew (up to 7)as of [1] ↑ Most crew | 3 crewas of [1] | 3 crewas of [1] |
| Mass | ~13,000 kgas of [1] | 7,080 kgas of [1] | 7,790 kgas of [1]Varies by mission configuration |
| Target orbits | LEO, ISS | LEO, ISS | LEO, CSS |
| Mission types | ISS crew rotation | ISS crew rotation | China Space Station crew rotation, Crewed lunar precursor |
| Total flights | 1 crewed mission (CFT)as of [2]CFT crew returned aboard Crew Dragon after thruster and helium leak issues | ~40 crewed missions (Soyuz MS series)as of [1]Approximate; Soyuz MS series began 2016; Soyuz heritage dates to 1967 | ~20 crewed missions (Shenzhou 5–19)as of [1]Approximate; Shenzhou 5 was first crewed flight in 2003 ↑ Most experienced |
| Summary | Boeing's NASA CCP capsule. The Crew Flight Test (May 2024) was plagued by helium leaks and RCS thruster failures, stranding NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams for 8 months before SpaceX Crew Dragon rescued them. | Russia's primary crew ferry to the ISS and sole crewed spacecraft in operational use by Roscosmos. The Soyuz design lineage dates to 1967, making it the longest-serving crewed spacecraft series in history. | China's primary crewed spacecraft, inspired by but substantially evolved from Soyuz. Supports the Chinese Space Station (Tiangong). China plans a lunar-capable variant for future crewed Moon missions. |
All 6 crewed spacecraft with primary-source citations from SpaceX, NASA, Boeing, Roscosmos, Sierra Space, and CNSA. Pure URL state — bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.