Deutsch: Raumfähre / Español: Transbordador / Português: Ônibus Espacial / Français: Navette / Italiano: Navetta /
A shuttle is a spacecraft that is designed to transport people, cargo, or both between Earth and a space station or other destination in space. Shuttles are typically reusable vehicles that can be launched into space and then land back on Earth, allowing them to be used multiple times.
One of the most well-known examples of a shuttle is the Space Shuttle, which was a spacecraft that was operated by NASA from 1981 to 2011. The Space Shuttle was designed to carry a crew of up to seven astronauts, as well as cargo and scientific equipment, to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and other destinations in low Earth orbit. It was the first reusable spacecraft to be used for human spaceflight and played a vital role in the construction and maintenance of the ISS.
Other examples of shuttles include the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which is used to transport crew to and from the ISS, and the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft, which is used for both crewed and uncrewed missions. In the future, it is possible that other types of shuttles or spaceplanes may be developed to serve a variety of purposes, such as transporting people and cargo to and from other destinations in the solar system.