What is the name of the spaceship in "Alien"?

The spaceship in "Alien" is the Nostromo, a commercial towing vessel carrying a seven-person crew through deep space. Its full designation is USCSS Nostromo, and the ship’s ordinary industrial design makes the film’s horror feel grounded and claustrophobic.

The crew is awakened from hypersleep after the ship’s computer, Mother, detects a transmission from an apparently abandoned alien craft. The Nostromo is diverted to investigate, leading the crew to the discovery of the alien eggs and the creature that eventually stalks them through the ship.

The name is an allusion to Joseph Conrad’s 1904 novel "Nostromo." That literary connection is easy to miss because the film focuses on the crew, the company’s hidden agenda, and the alien threat rather than explaining the ship’s name. The escape vessel is called the Narcissus, another apparent Conrad reference.

The Nostromo should not be confused with the Sulaco, which is the Marine transport ship in the 1986 sequel "Aliens." Prometheus is the name of the research vessel in the 2012 prequel, while Enterprise belongs to the "Star Trek" universe.