Watch the Launch

STS-116

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 39B Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

STS-116 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery lifted off on 9 December 2006 at 20:47:35 EST. A previous launch attempt on 7 December had been canceled due to cloud cover. It was the first night launch of a space shuttle since STS-113 in November 2002. The mission is also referred to as ISS-12A.1 by the ISS program. The main goals of the mission were delivery and attachment of the International Space Station's P5 truss segment, a major rewiring of the station's power system, and exchange of ISS Expedition 14 personnel.

Space Shuttle

Family: Space Shuttle
Configuration:

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.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    56.1 m
  • Diameter
    8.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    2030 T
  • Thrust
    28200 kN
Family
  • Name
    Space Shuttle
  • Family
    Space Shuttle
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Space Shuttle
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $450000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    27500 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Space Shuttle Discovery


In-active Human Rated Crew On-board: 7 Crew Capacity: 7 Payload Capacity: 27500 kg
Destination: International Space Station
Serial Number: OV-103

Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. Discovery became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by Columbia and Challenger. It embarked on its last mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011 and touched down for the final time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, having spent a cumulative total of almost a full year in space. Discovery performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions. It also carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour and then Atlantis.

Space Shuttle Details

Crew


Mark L. Polansky

Commander - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: June 2, 1956
Age: 67

William Oefelein

Pilot - American - ( NASA )

Status: Dismissed

Date of Birth: March 29, 1965
Age: 59

Joan Higginbotham

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Aug. 3, 1964
Age: 59

Christer Fuglesang

Mission Specialist - Swedish - ( ESA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: March 18, 1957
Age: 67

Nicholas Patrick

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Nov. 19, 1964
Age: 59

Sunita Williams

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Sept. 19, 1965
Age: 58

Robert Curbeam

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: March 5, 1962
Age: 62

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Administrator: Bill Nelson Founded: 1958 Successes: 115 Failures: 20 Pending: 6

Agency Type: Government

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 WIKI

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39B


Long March 6A
Success
2 days, 8 hours ago
Yunhai 3-02
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese satellite reported for atmospheric/ocean/environmental/spatial parameter research purposes, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-46
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 4 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-42
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
5 days, 19 hours ago
Soyuz MS-25
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-25 will carry two cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome i…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-30
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

30th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Live and Let Fly (NROL-123)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Island, Virginia, USA

Mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.


Long March 2D/YZ-3
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Yunhai-2 Group 02
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Yunhai-2 is a constellation of Chinese military meteorological satellites. Reportedly the satellites use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)…


Long March 8
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
Queqiao-2
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Queqiao-2 is a Chinese artificial satellite to serve as a communications relay for future Chinese lunar far side missions that cannot communicate dir…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 7-16
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Starlink Group 6-44
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.