Space Shuttle
NASA’s shuttle fleet achieved numerous firsts and opened up space to more people than ever before during the Space Shuttle Program’s 30 years of missions.
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History
The Space Shuttle
From the first launch on April 12, 1981 to the final landing on July 21, 2011, NASA's space shuttle fleet flew 135 missions, helped construct the International Space Station and inspired generations.
NASA’s space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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The Space Shuttle
An idea born in unsettled times becomes a feat of engineering excellence. The most complex machine ever built to bring humans to and from space and eventually construct the next stop on the road to space exploration.
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30 Years of Shuttle Missions
STS-9 carried the first Spacelab mission and the first astronaut to represent the European Space Agency.
STS-8 carried Guion Bluford who became the first African-American to fly in space. INSAT-1B, a multipurpose satellite for India which…
STS-6 was the maiden flight of Challenger. STS-6 deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-1) into orbit.
Retired Space Shuttle Locations
Shuttle Atlantis – Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Shuttle Discovery – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Shuttle Endeavour – California Science…
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