STS-109 (SM3B) was a Space Shuttle mission that launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 1 March 2002. It was the 108th mission of the Space Shuttle program, the 27th flight of the orbiter Columbia and the fourth servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. It was also the last successful mission of the orbiter Columbia before the ill-fated STS-107 mission, which culminated in the Columbia disaster.
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.
Space Shuttle Columbia (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA's Space Shuttle fleet. It launched for the first time on mission STS-1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle program. Over 22 years of service, it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.
Space Shuttle Details
Date of
Birth: Aug. 19, 1962
Age: 61
Date of
Birth: Oct. 16, 1956
Age: 67
Date of
Birth: Dec. 29, 1958
Age: 64
Date of
Birth: Sept. 19, 1957
Age: 66
Date of
Birth: Oct. 10, 1958
Age: 65
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
INFO WIKIThe Hubble Space Telescope recently garnered headlines for a software anomaly that caused the iconic observatory to enter safe mode as its control teams worked to successfully restore the telescope to operational status.
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite(s)". Probable 1 (?) test satellite for the Chinese state-owned LEO com…
2 Earth observation and/or communication satellites for MinoSpace (Tianyan-16) & ELLISPACE (Starpool-01A).
Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional. Prototype small synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite built by Hanhwa Aerospace on a planar satellite…
MisrSat-2 is an Earth observation satellite for the Egyptian Space Agency built by China, with participation from Egyptian engineers and scientists o…
A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Note: Name of payload is provisional. First launch of an ultimately 5 reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program A…
Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Note: Payload identity and Cosmos series number uncertain. The Razdan satellite is reportedly a new electro-optical reconnaissance satellite desi…