Editing Space capsule (section)

{{Short description|Type of spacecraft}}
[[File:Crew Dragon at the ISS for Demo Mission 1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Crew Dragon approaching the ISS in March 2019 during [[Crew Dragon Demo-1|Demo-1]]|300x300px]]
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A '''space capsule''' is a [[spacecraft]] designed to transport cargo, scientific experiments, and/or [[astronaut]]s to and from space.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spacecraft {{!}} Definition, Types, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/spacecraft |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Capsules are distinguished from other [[spacecraft]] by the ability to survive reentry and return a payload to the Earth's surface from orbit or sub-orbit, and are distinguished from other types of recoverable spacecraft by their blunt shape, not having wings and often containing little fuel other than what is necessary for a safe return. Capsule-based [[human spaceflight|crewed spacecraft]] such as [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]] or [[Orion (spacecraft)|Orion]] are often supported by a service or adapter module, and sometimes augmented with an extra module for extended space operations. Capsules make up the majority of crewed spacecraft designs, although one crewed [[spaceplane]], the [[Space Shuttle]], has flown in orbit.

Current examples of crewed space capsules include [[Soyuz spacecraft|Soyuz]], [[Shenzhou spacecraft|Shenzhou]], and [[SpaceX Dragon 2|Dragon 2]]. Examples of new crew capsules currently in development include NASA's [[Orion (spacecraft)|Orion]], Boeing's [[Boeing Starliner|Starliner]], Russia's [[Orel (spacecraft)|Orel]], India's [[Gaganyaan]], and China's [[Mengzhou (spacecraft)|Mengzhou]]. Historic examples of crewed capsules include [[Vostok spacecraft|Vostok]], [[Project Mercury|Mercury]], [[Voskhod spacecraft|Voskhod]], [[Gemini spacecraft|Gemini]], and [[Apollo command and service module|Apollo]], and active programs include the [[New Shepard]] launches. A crewed space capsule must be able to sustain life in an often demanding thermal and [[radiation]] environment in the vacuum of space. It may be expendable (used once, like Soyuz) or [[reusable spacecraft|reusable]] (like [[SpaceX_Dragon_2#Crew_Dragon|Crew Dragon]]).