Unmanned Spacecraft


An unmanned spacecraft is a type of space vehicle that can be operated without the need of a human crew. In most cases these vehicles will nowadays be controlled by remote robotics from the ground although the initial launches of early unmanned spacecraft did not have this kind of technology and the vehicles were not able to communicate with Earth and vice versa.

These kinds of unmanned space missions are often used to save money, to minimise risks to crews in tricky situations and to help the discovery process on distant planets and locations where it would not be feasible to send out a manned craft.

Typical types of unmanned spacecraft include:



In the majority of cases unmanned spacecraft will be tasked with gathering scientific data and evidence to help us understand more about space. A solar probe, for example, can get closer to the sun and tell scientists more about it than a manned spacecraft would.

In some cases, however, unmanned spacecraft are sent out with different aims. So, for example, astronauts living on the International Space Station (ISS) will often receive supplies from unmanned supply craft that will be sent out to them either on a regular or emergency basis.





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