| International Space Station | 440,725 kg (971,632 lb) | Space station | LEO | In service | 1998– (at present size: 2021–) |
| Mir | 129,700 kg (285,940 lb) | Soviet / Russian space station | LEO | Deorbited 2001 | 1986–2001 |
| Space Shuttle | 122,683 kg (270,470 lb) | Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-117, the heaviest flight of the Space Shuttle. | LEO | Retired | 1981–2011 |
| Buran | 105,000 kg (231,485 lb) | Soviet reusable orbiter, made single flight | LEO | Retired | 1988–1988 |
| Skylab | 77,111 kg (170,001 lb) | U.S. space station; largest station orbited in one launch | LEO | Deorbited 1979 | 1973–1979 |
| Apollo CSM | 28,800 kg (63,493 lb) | U.S. crewed spacecraft for entering lunar orbit | Moon | Retired | 1968–1975 (Block II) |
| Tianhe | 22,500 kg (49,604 lb) | Chinese space station | LEO | In service | 2021- |
| ATV | 20,293 kg (44,738 lb) | European cargo spacecraft on its heaviest flight | LEO | Retired | 2008–2014 |
| Salyut 7 | 19,824 kg (43,704 lb) | USSR space station | LEO | Deorbited 1991 | 1982–1991 |
| KH-11 | ~19,600 kg (43,211 lb)[3] | Electro-optical reconnaissance satellite | SSO | In service | 1976– (current version: 2005–) |
