What is the best cargo spaceship currently?

[Tywin]

Well, I'm opening this thread to debate which you think is the best cargo spaceship, and why. Some of the choices are very close to flying for the first time.

[AmigaClone]

Currently, there are four operational cargo spacecraft (Cygnus, Dragon-2, Progress, and Tianzhou). While one of the other five might eventually become the best cargo spacecraft, until they actually perform a mission their actual performance is only theoretical.

I would say that all four operational cargo spacecraft have at least one area they are 'best' at. The retired ATV and HTV both have features that current cargo spacecraft can't match as well.

[StraumliBlight]

Currently, there are four operational cargo spacecraft (Cygnus, Dragon-2, Progress, and Tianzhou). While one of the other five might eventually become the best cargo spacecraft, until they actually perform a mission their actual performance is only theoretical.

I would say that all four operational cargo spacecraft have at least one area they are 'best' at. The retired ATV and HTV both have features that current cargo spacecraft can't match as well.

JAXA's HTV-X is launching on October 21st.

[AmigaClone]

Currently, there are four operational cargo spacecraft (Cygnus, Dragon-2, Progress, and Tianzhou). While one of the other five might eventually become the best cargo spacecraft, until they actually perform a mission their actual performance is only theoretical.

I would say that all four operational cargo spacecraft have at least one area they are 'best' at. The retired ATV and HTV both have features that current cargo spacecraft can't match as well.

JAXA's HTV-X is launching on October 21st.

HTV-X at this time has my vote for 'best of the unflown' cargo spacecraft since it is based on an earlier version.

[DanClemmensen]

"Best" is a qualitative term. It is not useful for picking a spacecraft for a particular mission. For a particular mission, you need to compare upmass, downmass, loiter time, docking/berthing capabilities, cost, and availability. If you really care you should create a table with these specs.

[Tywin]

"Best" is a qualitative term. It is not useful for picking a spacecraft for a particular mission. For a particular mission, you need to compare upmass, downmass, loiter time, docking/berthing capabilities, cost, and availability. If you really care you should create a table with these specs.

upmass=

 downmass=


 loiter time=


 docking/berthing capabilities=


cost=


 availability=

 refueling=


Done!

[sdsds]

I suggest choosing 'best' by what's sometimes called 'lifeboat' analysis.
https://strategiccfo.com/articles/management-ownership/who-stays-in-the-lifeboat/

If you had to choose one cargo vessel to eliminate from the fleet, which would you choose? (In the metaphor, this is throwing a person out of the lifeboat.) Continue the process until only one remains. That's the best.

[daedalus1]

Obviously the only one that can bring cargo back.

[spacenut]

Dragon is the only real one that can bring cargo back down without destroying the downmass.  I think Progress may.  Don't know about the Chinese stuff.  Dragon can bring up and down more than Progress anyway.  Cyngus only destroys downmass, burning it up on the way down.   

[JulesVerneATV]

'Is the Dream Chaser space plane ever going to launch into orbit'?
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/is-the-dream-chaser-space-plane-ever-going-to-launch-into-orbit/

When will Sierra Space's winged vehicle, Dream Chaser, finally take flight? Unfortunately, it's still not clear. Almost certainly, however, it won't be this year.

The Dream Chaser space plane has been under development for more than two decades, and it has a huge cult following because its winged shape mimics the iconic Space Shuttle. However, during a recent news briefing, a senior NASA official would only say this about a launch date: "We will be ready for them when they're ready to fly."

The comments came from Dana Weigel, who is the program manager for the International Space Station. Sierra Space has a contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station, and its first flight is intended to visit the space station. Weigel was asked about Dream Chaser at a news briefing on Friday, following the successful launch of the Crew-11 mission.

"They're in final assembly," she said of Sierra Space. "They're doing a lot of tests, and they're doing what I call final certification work. Some of the big key areas that they're focused on is the software certification. You've got to test end-to-end all the different software functions. So that's a big focus area for them. And then they're still working on certification in the prop system."

5,000 kg payload and 1,750 return, Docking Abilities Unknown

[TrevorMonty]

Dragon is the only real one that can bring cargo back down without destroying the downmass.  I think Progress may.  Don't know about the Chinese stuff.  Dragon can bring up and down more than Progress anyway.  Cyngus only destroys downmass, burning it up on the way down.

Being disposable has some upsides. Cyngus was used to conduct risky fires in vacuum experiments. Something that they wouldn't do with likes of Dragon.
If Cygnus wasn't assigned trash disposable duty, alot of Dragon's downmass would be allocated to trash.

[lScorpiusl]

So, I would say that none of the listed cargo ships is comparable to the TKS. It was a partially reusable cargo ship with a return cargo of up to 500 kilograms, it could also be manned, and entire orbital stations were created on its base.  And that was decades before the modern "very best" appeared, which are listed in the survey.

[DanClemmensen]

Dragon is the only real one that can bring cargo back down without destroying the downmass.  I think Progress may.  Don't know about the Chinese stuff.  Dragon can bring up and down more than Progress anyway.  Cyngus only destroys downmass, burning it up on the way down.

Being disposable has some upsides. Cyngus was used to conduct risky fires in vacuum experiments. Something that they wouldn't do with likes of Dragon.
If Cygnus wasn't assigned trash disposable duty, alot of Dragon's downmass would be allocated to trash.

If forced to dispose of trash with Dragon, NASA would develop a way to pack it into the trunk as external unpressurized cargo. It's not worth the effort to do this is you already have Cygnus and Progress.

[Jim]

These polls are just inane.

[Kaputnik]

Voted Tianzhou on the basis that it's got a good flight record and it can lift a huge amount of payload. Which is what you want from a cargo vehicle, surely?