list of spacecraft prefixes
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{{more citations needed|date=November 2020}}
A spacecraft prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a spacecraft, and its purpose is often analogous to more conventional ship prefixes. This list does not include prefixes used on rockets, rocket launches, and spaceflights. Non-productive prefixes (e.g. CSS in CSS Skywalker) are also not included in the list.
Prefixes
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Prefix ! Meaning ! class="unsortable" | Purpose |
| CM
| Command Module | Used to denote individual Apollo command modules (e.g. CM Columbia). |
| CSM
| Command and Service Module | Used to denote individual Apollo command and service modules (e.g. CSM Columbia). |
| DOS
| Long-duration Orbital Station{{cite web|access-date=2020-11-04|title=Salyut-1, its origin, flights to it and radio tracking thereof|url=http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/salyut1/salyut1.html|website=www.svengrahn.pp.se}} | Used to denote individual civilian Salyut stations (e.g. DOS-5) and Salyut-derived modules (e.g. DOS-8). |
| LM
| Lunar Module | Used to denote individual Apollo Lunar Modules (e.g. LM Eagle).{{efn|The acronym LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) was previously used for that purpose, but was preceded by LM in 1966.{{cite web |title=SP-4402 Origins of NASA Names |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4402/ch4.htm |website=NASA History |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 16, 2015}}Scheer, Julian W. (Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs, NASA). Memorandum from Project Designation Committee, June 9, 1966.}} |
| OK
| Orbital Ship{{efn|{{langx|ru|Орбитальный Корабль|translit=Orbital'nyy Korabl'}}}} | Used to denote individual Buran-class orbiters (e.g. OK-GLI). |
| OPS
| Orbital Piloted Station{{cite web|access-date=2020-11-04|title=The Almaz program|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/almaz.html|website=www.russianspaceweb.com}} |
| OV
| Orbiter Vehicle | Used to denote individual Space Shuttle orbiters (e.g. OV-102 Columbia). |
| OTV
| Orbital Test Vehicle |
| RSS
|Reusable Space Ship |Used to denote New Shepard vehicles and capsules (e.g. RSS H. G. Wells). |
| VSS
| Used to denote spaceplanes operated by Virgin Galactic (e.g. VSS Unity). |
| S.S.
|Unknown (Space Ship?) |Used by Northrop Grumman for Cygnus spacecraft (e.g. S.S. Kalpana Chawla). |
Notes
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