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Primary function: To carry astronauts and cargo to and from Earth orbit, satellite deployment, and servicing. Examples: Atlantis, Endeavour.

Primary function: To transport supplies and equipment to space stations. Examples: SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus.

Primary function: To travel to and study regions beyond our solar system. Examples: Voyager 1 (entered interstellar space), Proposed Interstellar Probe.

Primary function: To monitor Earth's weather and climate. Examples: GOES series, Meteosat.

Primary function: To land on the surface of the Moon. Examples: Apollo Lunar Module, Chang'e landers.

Primary function: To explore the surface of celestial bodies. Examples: Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, Lunar Rover.

Primary function: To study and send back information about other planets. Examples: Cassini–Huygens, Galileo spacecraft.

Primary function: To orbit Earth or another celestial body for communication, observation, or research. Examples: Hubble Space Telescope, GPS satellites.

Primary function: To facilitate global telecommunications. Examples: INTELSAT series, Iridium satellite constellation.

Primary function: To perform military or security surveillance from orbit. Examples: KH-11, Lacrosse/Onyx.

Primary function: To serve as a habitable artificial satellite for long-term occupation in space. Examples: International Space Station (ISS), Mir.

Primary function: To study the Sun and its surroundings. Examples: Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter.

Primary function: To observe astronomical phenomena from space. Examples: Chandra X-ray Observatory, James Webb Space Telescope.

Primary function: To carry telescopes and other instruments to study celestial sources. Examples: Kepler Space Telescope, Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission.