Watch the Launch

STS-70

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Communications

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

STS-70 was the 21st flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery, and the last of 7 shuttle missions to carry a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). This was the first shuttle mission controlled from the new mission control center room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. STS-70 was also the first flight of the new Block 1 orbiter main engine, designed to improve both engine performance and safety.

Space Shuttle

Family:
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
    2030.0 T
  • Thrust
    28200.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Space Shuttle
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Space Shuttle
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $450000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    27500.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Space Shuttle Discovery


In-active Human Rated Crew On-board: 5 Crew Capacity: 7 Payload Capacity: 27500 kg
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
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


Terence Henricks

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: July 5, 1952
Age: 72

Kevin R. Kregel

Pilot - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Sept. 16, 1956
Age: 68

Mary Ellen Weber

Mission Specialist - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Jan. 1, 1962
Age: 62

Donald A. Thomas

Mission Specialist - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: May 6, 1955
Age: 69

Nancy J. Currie-Gregg

Mission Specialist - configurations.Country.None - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Dec. 29, 1958
Age: 65

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA)

Administrator: Bill Nelson Founded: 1958 Successes: 121 Failures: 20 Pending: 6

Agency Type:

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


Falcon 9
Success
16 hours, 51 minutes ago
Starlink Group 10-10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

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


Falcon Heavy
Success
1 day, 6 hours ago
Europa Clipper
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Europa Clipper is the first dedicated mission to study Jupiter's moon Europa. Mission is developed by NASA and comprises of an orbiter spacecraft, wh…


Starship
Success
2 days, 10 hours ago
Integrated Flight Test 5
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Fifth test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.


Long March 3
Success
5 days, 9 hours ago
WHG-03
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese communication satellite with name meaning "Satellite Internet - High Orbit Satellite 03" in Chinese. Details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Hera
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Hera is a space mission in development at the European Space Agency in its Space Safety program. Its primary objective is to study the Didymos binary…


Vulcan VC2S
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Certification Flight 2
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Replacement Vulcan test launch with inert payload, experiments, and demonstrations for certification with the USSF after delays caused by payload tes…


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 3 days ago
Crew-9
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

SpaceX Crew-9 is the ninth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew…


Long March 2D
Success
2 weeks, 4 days ago
Shijian 19
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Shijian 19 is a Chinese recoverable satellite for hoisting various scientific experiments in microgravity. Unlike previous similar Chinese satelli…


H-IIA
Success
2 weeks, 5 days ago
IGS Radar 8
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1 - Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

The IGS Radar 8 is a Japanese radar reconnaissance satellite. The satellite is operated by the Cabinet Satellite Information Center. The satellite se…


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Starlink Group 9-8
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.