STS-63 was the first mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, which carried out the first rendezvous of the American Space Shuttle with Russia's space station Mir. Known as the 'Near-Mir' mission, the flight used Space Shuttle Discovery, which lifted off from launch pad 39B on 3 February 1995 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Space Shuttle Discovery 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.
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
Date of
Birth: Jan. 6, 1957
Age: 65
Date of
Birth: June 26, 1956
Age: 65
Date of
Birth: Oct. 8, 1956
Date of Death:
Feb. 6, 2012
Date of
Birth: Jan. 1, 1947
Age: 75
A batch of 53 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
A batch of 53 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
New generation experimental Earth imaging satellite for the Jilin-1 constellation. NOTE: Payload identity unconfirmed.
Third cargo delivery mission to the Chinese large modular space station.
A batch of 53 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation.
Commercial rideshare mission including payloads for Alba Orbital, Astrix Astronautics, Aurora Propulsion Technologies, E-Space, Spaceflight Inc, Swar…
Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation.
A batch of 53 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.