Space Shuttle

In-active Human Rated Spaceplane Crew Capacity: 7 Payload Capacity: 27500 kg Diameter: 8.7 m Height: 56.1 m

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April 12, 1981

Carrying a crew of 7 astronauts along with cargo to Low Earth Orbit.

Flight Life

14 days

Description

The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable LEO spacecraft system operated 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), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development. The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights in 1982. In addition to the prototype whose completion was cancelled, five complete Shuttle systems were built and used on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011, launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Operational missions launched numerous satellites, interplanetary probes, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); conducted science experiments in orbit; and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station. The Shuttle fleet's total mission time was 1322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes and 23 seconds.

History

The Space shuttle was a United States space craft. Following the conclusion of the Apollo program the Space Shuttle intended to lower costs for reliable access to Low Earth Orbit. The program ran from 1981-2011.



Falcon 9
Success
12 hours, 17 minutes ago
GPS III SV08
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Eighth of ten GPS III missions.


Long March 4B
Success
2 days, 1 hour ago
Shijian 26
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese experimental satellite claimed to be for "Earth observation & environmental management" purposes, details not known.


Long March 3
Success
2 days, 12 hours ago
Tianwen-2
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Tianwen-2 is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet orbiter mission due for launch in May 2025. The spacecraft will visit the Near Earth …


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 16 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-32
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Starship
Failure
3 days, 6 hours ago
Flight 9
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

9th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-1
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 12-22
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 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 11-16
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 27 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
Kosmos 2588
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Unknown classified payload for the Russian military.


Kinetica 1
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
6 satellites
Launch Area 130 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Carried 6 satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit, including commercial Earth observation satellites Taijing-3-04 & Taijing-4-02A: * Taijing-3-04 * T…