The Spaceships of 'Interstellar' Explained (Infographic)
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Daily Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Once a month
Watch This Space
Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.
Once a week
Night Sky This Week
Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!
Twice a month
Strange New Words
Space.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans!
Warning: SPOILER ALERT! This infographic contains details about the new space film "Interstellar."
The film "Interstellar" features several vehicles designed for interplanetary travel. Utilizing a wormhole that has appeared in Earth’s solar system, four astronauts take the spaceship Endurance across the universe to a strange planetary system orbiting a black hole.
"Interstellar" in Pictures: A Space Epic Gallery
The astronauts ride a rocket resembling NASA's 21st century mega-rocket, the Space Launch System(SLS), into Earth orbit to rendezvous with Endurance. The version of SLS seen in the film is lacking solid rocket boosters at the sides.
Endurance, meanwhile, is a wheel of 12 boxy modules with docking ports at the hub. The ship spins 5.6 times per minute to create Earth-style artificial gravity. If a habitable planet is found, Endurance could be disassembled and its component modules used to build a base on the planet surface.
The Science of 'Interstellar' Explained (Infographic)
The ship carries four auxiliary craft. The Rangers are fast and agile single-stage vehicles for reconnaissance and planet landings. The Landers are used for heavy-lift cargo drops to planet surfaces.
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Defying today's fashion of 3D computer-animated spaceships, "Interstellar" relies on physical miniatures. A real model will catch the light and move in a more realistic way than computer graphics can.
- How Interstellar Space Travel Works (Infographic)
- Latest News About Black Holes
- Gallery: Visions of Interstellar Starship Travel
Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork). Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web. He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.
