List of Space Shuttle missions

The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). 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.[1] Operational missions launched numerous satellites, conducted science experiments in orbit, and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station (ISS). The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights beginning in 1982.

Launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on 12 April 1981 at Pad 39A for mission STS-1

From 1981 to 2011 a total of 135 missions were flown, all launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. During that time period the fleet logged 1,322 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes and 23 seconds of flight time.[2] The longest orbital flight of the Shuttle was STS-80 at 17 days 15 hours, while the shortest flight was STS-51-L at one minute 13 seconds when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart during launch. The cold morning shrunk an O-Ring on the right Solid Rocket Booster causing the external fuel tank to explode. The shuttles docked with Russian space station Mir nine times and visited the ISS thirty-seven times. The highest altitude (apogee) achieved by the shuttle was 386 mi (621 km) when deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.[3] The program flew a total of 355 people representing 16 countries, and with 852 total shuttle fliers.[4] The Kennedy Space Center served as the landing site for 78 missions, while 54 missions landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and one mission landed at White Sands, New Mexico.[5]

The first orbiter built, Enterprise, was used for atmospheric flight tests (ALT) but future plans to upgrade it to orbital capability were ultimately canceled. Four fully operational orbiters were initially built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. Challenger and Columbia were destroyed in mission accidents in 1986 and 2003 respectively, killing a total of fourteen astronauts. A fifth operational orbiter, Endeavour, was built in 1991 to replace Challenger. The Space Shuttle was retired from service upon the conclusion of STS-135 by Atlantis on 21 July 2011.[6]

Flight numbering

Profiles of all five orbiters at launch.

The U.S. Space Shuttle program was officially referred to as the Space Transportation System (STS). Specific shuttle missions were therefore designated with the prefix "STS".[2] Initially, the launches were given sequential numbers indicating order of launch, such as STS-7. Subsequent to the Apollo 13 mishap, due to Administrator of NASA James M. Beggs's triskaidekaphobia and consequent unwillingness to number a forthcoming flight as STS-13,[7][8][9][10] beginning in 1984, each mission was assigned a code, such as STS-41-B, with the first digit (or pair of digits for years 1990 and beyond) indicating the federal fiscal year offset into the program (so 41-B was scheduled for FY 1984, 51-A thru 51-L originally for FY 1985, and the third flight in FY 1995 would have been named 151-C), the second digit indicating the launch site (1 was Kennedy Space Center and 2 was Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, although Vandenberg was never used), and the letter indicating scheduling sequence.[11] These codes were assigned when the launches were initially scheduled and were not changed as missions were delayed or rescheduled.[6] The codes were adopted from STS-41-B through STS-51-L (although the highest code used was actually STS-61-C), and the sequential numbers were used internally at NASA on all processing paperwork.

After the Challenger disaster, NASA returned to using a sequential numbering system, with the number counting from the beginning of the STS program. Unlike the initial system, however, the numbers were assigned based on the initial mission schedule, and did not always reflect actual launch order. This numbering scheme started at 26, with the first flight as STS-26R—the R suffix stood for "reflight" to disambiguate from prior missions. The suffix was used for two years through STS-33R, then the R was dropped.[6] As a result of the changes in systems, flights under different numbering systems could have the same number with one having a letter appended, e.g. flight STS-51 (a mission carried out by Discovery in 1993) was many years after STS-51-A (Discovery's second flight in 1984).[6] It wasn't until STS-127 in 2009 where the flight numbering system returned to a standard and consistent order.

Shuttle flights

Enterprise on one of its five free-flights during the Approach and Landing Test program

Test flights

The Approach and Landing Test program encompassed 16 separate tests of Enterprise, covering taxi tests, uncrewed and crewed flights on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and finally the free flight tests. The following list includes the free-flight tests, durations listed count only the orbiter free-flight time. The list does not include total time aloft along with airborne time atop of the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

OrderLaunch dateMissionShuttleCrewDurationLaunch padLanding siteNotesSources
112 August 1977ALT-12
Enterprise200 h 05 mN/AEdwards[12][13][14][15]
213 September 1977ALT-13
Enterprise200 h 05 mEdwards
  • Second free flight
[12][13]
323 September 1977ALT-14
Enterprise200 h 05 mEdwards
  • Third free flight
[12][13]
412 October 1977ALT-15
Enterprise200 h 02 mEdwards
  • Fourth free flight
  • First flight without tailcone (operational configuration)
[12][13][15][16]
526 October 1977ALT-16
Enterprise200 h 02 mEdwards
  • Final free flight
  • Final non-captive flight of Enterprise
  • First landing on runway rather than lakebed
[12][13][17]

Launches and orbital flights

OrderLaunch dateMissionShuttleCrew[a]DurationLaunch padLanding siteNotesSources
112 April 1981
12:00:04 UTC
07:00:04 EST

Columbia202d 06hLC-39AEdwards
  • First reusable orbital spacecraft flight
  • Maiden flight of Columbia
  • Maiden flight of the Space Shuttle program
[18][19][20]
212 November 1981
15:10:00 UTC
10:10:00 EST

Columbia202d 06hLC-39AEdwards
  • First reuse of a crewed orbital space vehicle
  • First test of Canadarm robot arm
  • Truncated due to fuel cell problem
  • Shortest orbital mission flown
[21][22][23]
322 March 1982
16:00:00 UTC
11:00:00 EST

Columbia208d 00hLC-39AWhite Sands[24][25][26]
427 June 1982
15:00:00 UTC
11:00:00 EDT

Columbia207d 01hLC-39AEdwards[27][28][29][30]
511 November 1982
12:19:00 UTC
07:19:00 EST

Columbia405d 02hLC-39AEdwards[31][32][33][34]
64 April 1983
18:30:00 UTC
13:30:00 EST

Challenger405d 00hLC-39AEdwards[35][36]
718 June 1983
11:33:00 UTC
07:33:00 EDT

Challenger506d 02hLC-39AEdwards[37][38]
830 August 1983
06:32:00 UTC
02:32:00 EDT

Challenger506d 01hLC-39AEdwards
  • Comsat deployment
  • First flight of an African American in space, Guion Bluford
  • Test of robot arm on heavy payloads with Payload Flight Test Article
  • First night launch
  • First night landing
[39][40]
928 November 1983
16:00:00 UTC
11:00:00 EST

Columbia610d 07hLC-39AEdwards[41][42]
103 February 1984
13:00:00 UTC
08:00:00 EST

Challenger507d 23hLC-39AKennedy[43][44]
116 April 1984
13:58:00 UTC
08:58:00 EST

Challenger506d 23hLC-39AEdwards[45][46][47]
1230 August 1984
12:41:50 UTC
08:41:50 EDT

Discovery606d 00hLC-39AEdwards
  • Multiple comsat deployments
  • Maiden flight of Discovery
  • Test of OAST-1 Solar Array
[48][49]
135 October 1984
11:03:00 UTC
07:03:00 EDT

Challenger708d 05hLC-39AKennedy[50][51]
148 November 1984
12:15:00 UTC
07:15:00 EST

Discovery507d 23hLC-39AKennedy
  • Multiple comsat deployments
  • Retrieval of two other comsats (Palapa B2 and Westar VI), which were subsequently refurbished on Earth and reflown
[52][53]
1524 January 1985
19:50:00 UTC
14:50:00 EST

Discovery503d 01hLC-39AKennedy[28][54][55]
1612 April 1985
13:59:05 UTC
08:59:05 EST

Discovery706d 23hLC-39AKennedy[56][57]
1729 April 1985
16:02:18 UTC
12:02:18 EDT

Challenger707d 00hLC-39AEdwards
  • First mission with Spacelab module in a fully operational configuration
  • Conducted experiments in microgravity
  • First African-American Space Shuttle pilot, Frederick D. Gregory
[58][59]
1817 June 1985
11:33:00 UTC
07:33:00 EDT

Discovery707d 01hLC-39AEdwards[60][61]
1929 July 1985
22:00:00 UTC
18:00:00 EDT

Challenger707d 22hLC-39AEdwards
  • Spacelab mission
  • Abort to Orbit. Faulty temperature sensor incorrectly indicated that fuel turbine discharge temperature exceeded the limit. Therefore, one main engine was shut down at T+345 s, resulting in a much lower orbit than planned.
  • All mission objectives achieved
[62][63]
2027 August 1985
10:58:01 UTC
06:58:01 EDT

Discovery507d 02hLC-39AEdwards[64][65]
213 October 1985
15:15:30 UTC
11:15:30 EDT

Atlantis504d 01hLC-39AEdwards[28][66][67]
2230 October 1985
17:00:00 UTC
12:00:00 EST

Challenger807d 00hLC-39AEdwards
  • Largest crew on a spaceflight
  • Third flight of Spacelab
  • Spacelab-D1 microgravity experiments
  • Mission funded by West Germany
  • Last successful mission of Challenger
  • First Dutchman in space, Wubbo Ockels
[68][69]
2326 November 1985
24:29:00 UTC
19:29:00 EST

Atlantis706d 21hLC-39AEdwards[70][71]
2412 January 1986
11:55:00 UTC
06:55:00 EST

Columbia706d 02hLC-39AEdwards[72][73]
2528 January 1986
16:38:00 UTC
11:38:00 EST

Challenger700d 00h 01m 13sLC-39BDid not land [b][74][75]
2629 September 1988
15:37:00 UTC
11:37:00 EDT

Discovery504d 01hLC-39BEdwards
  • Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-C) deployment
  • First post-Challenger flight
[76][77]
272 December 1988
14:30:34 UTC
09:30:34 EST

Atlantis504d 09hLC-39BEdwards[28][78][79][80]
2813 March 1989
14:57:00 UTC
09:57:00 EST

Discovery504d 23hLC-39BEdwards
  • Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-D) deployment
  • IMAX camera
  • Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element I space station radiator experiment
[81][82]
294 May 1989
18:46:59 UTC
14:46:59 EDT

Atlantis504d 00hLC-39BEdwards[83][84]
308 August 1989
12:37:00 UTC
08:37:00 EDT

Columbia505d 01hLC-39BEdwards[28][85][86]
3118 October 1989
16:53:40 UTC
12:53:40 EDT

Atlantis504d 23hLC-39BEdwards[87][88]
3222 November 1989
24:23:30 UTC
19:23:30 EST

Discovery505d 00hLC-39BEdwards[28][89][90][91]
339 January 1990
12:35:00 UTC
07:35:00 EST

Columbia510d 21hLC-39AEdwards[92][93]
3428 February 1990
07:50:22 UTC
02:50:22 EST

Atlantis504d 10hLC-39AEdwards[28][94][95]
3524 April 1990
12:33:51 UTC
08:33:51 EDT

Discovery505d 01hLC-39BEdwards[96][97]
366 October 1990
11:47:15 UTC
07:47:15 EDT

Discovery504d 02hLC-39BEdwards[98][99]
3715 November 1990
23:48:15 UTC
18:48:15 EST

Atlantis504d 21hLC-39AKennedy
  • Seventh classified DoD mission
  • Likely SDS2-2 deployed
[28][100][101]
382 December 1990
06:49:01 UTC
01:49:01 EST

Columbia708d 23hLC-39BEdwards
  • Use of ASTRO-1 observatory
[102][103]
395 April 1991
14:22:45 UTC
09:22:45 EST

Atlantis505d 23hLC-39BEdwards[104][105]
4028 April 1991
11:33:14 UTC
07:33:14 EDT

Discovery708d 07hLC-39AKennedy
  • First unclassified DoD mission (eighth DoD mission overall)
  • Military science experiments
[28][106][107]
415 June 1991
13:24:51 UTC
09:24:51 EDT

Columbia709d 02hLC-39BEdwards[108][109]
422 August 1991
15:02:00 UTC
11:02:00 EDT

Atlantis508d 21hLC-39AKennedy
  • Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-E) deployment
[110][111]
4312 September 1991
23:11:04 UTC
19:11:04 EDT

Discovery505d 08hLC-39AEdwards[112][113]
4424 November 1991
23:44:00 UTC
18:44:00 EST

Atlantis606d 22hLC-39AEdwards
  • Second unclassified DoD mission (ninth DoD mission overall)
  • DSP satellite deployment
[114][115]
4522 January 1992
14:52:33 UTC
09:52:33 EST

Discovery708d 01hLC-39AEdwards[116][117]
4624 March 1992
13:13:40 UTC
08:13:40 EST

Atlantis708d 22hLC-39AKennedy
  • ATLAS-1 science platform
  • Second African-American Space Shuttle commander, Charles Bolden
[118][119]
477 May 1992
23:40:00 UTC
19:40:00 EDT

Endeavour708d 21hLC-39BEdwards[120][121]
4825 June 1992
16:12:23 UTC
12:12:23 EDT

Columbia713d 19hLC-39AKennedy[122][123]
4931 July 1992
13:56:48 UTC
09:56:48 EDT

Atlantis707d 23hLC-39BKennedy[124][125]
5012 September 1992
14:23:00 UTC
10:23:00 EDT

Endeavour707d 22hLC-39BKennedy[126][127]
5122 October 1992
17:09:39 UTC
13:09:39 EDT

Columbia609d 20hLC-39BKennedy
  • LAGEOS II deployment
  • Microgravity experiments
[128][129]
522 December 1992
13:24:00 UTC
08:24:00 EST

Discovery507d 07hLC-39AEdwards
  • Partially classified 10th and final DoD mission
  • Likely deployment of SDS2 satellite
[28][130][131]
5313 January 1993
13:59:30 UTC
08:59:30 EST

Endeavour505d 23hLC-39BKennedy
  • Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-F) deployment
[132][133]
548 April 1993
05:29:00 UTC
01:29:00 EDT

Discovery509d 06hLC-39BKennedy
  • ATLAS-2 science platform
[134][135]
5526 April 1993
14:50:00 UTC
10:50:00 EDT

Columbia709d 23hLC-39AEdwards[136][137]
5621 June 1993
13:07:22 UTC
09:07:22 EDT

Endeavour609d 23hLC-39BKennedy[138][139]
5712 September 1993
11:45:00 UTC
07:45:00 EDT

Discovery509d 20hLC-39BKennedy
  • ACTS satellite deployed
  • Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer with IMAX camera deployed
  • First night landing at Kennedy Space Center
[140][141]
5818 October 1993
14:53:10 UTC
10:53:10 EDT

Columbia714d 00hLC-39BEdwards[142][143]
592 December 1993
09:27:00 UTC
04:27:00 EST

Endeavour710d 19hLC-39BKennedy[144][145]
603 February 1994
12:10:00 UTC
07:10:00 EST

Discovery607d 06hLC-39AKennedy[146][147]
614 March 1994
13:53:00 UTC
08:53:00 EST

Columbia513d 23hLC-39BKennedy
  • Microgravity experiments
[148][149]
629 April 1994
11:05:00 UTC
07:05:00 EDT

Endeavour611d 05hLC-39AEdwards
  • Experiments aboard Shuttle Radar Laboratory-1
[150][151]
638 July 1994
04:43:00 UTC
00:43:00 EDT

Columbia714d 17hLC-39AKennedy[152][153]
649 September 1994
22:22:05 UTC
18:22:05 EDT

Discovery610d 22hLC-39BEdwards
  • Multiple science experiments
  • SPARTAN
[154][155]
6530 September 1994
11:16:00 UTC
07:16:00 EDT

Endeavour611d 05hLC-39AEdwards
  • Experiments aboard Space Radar Laboratory-2
[156][157]
663 November 1994
16:59:43 UTC
11:59:43 EST

Atlantis610d 22hLC-39BEdwards
  • ATLAS-3 science platform
[158][159]
673 February 1995
05:22:04 UTC
00:22:04 EST

Discovery608d 06hLC-39BKennedy[160][161]
682 March 1995
06:38:13 UTC
01:38:13 EST

Endeavour716d 15hLC-39AEdwards
  • ASTRO-2 Deployment
[162][163]
6927 June 1995
19:32:19 UTC
15:32:19 EDT

Atlantis7/809d 19hLC-39AKennedy
  • First Shuttle-Mir docking
[164][165]
7013 July 1995
13:41:55 UTC
09:41:55 EDT

Discovery508d 22hLC-39BKennedy
  • Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-G) deployment
[166][167]
717 September 1995
15:09:00 UTC
11:09:00 EDT

Endeavour510d 20hLC-39AKennedy[168][169]
7220 October 1995
13:53:00 UTC
09:53:00 EDT

Columbia715d 21hLC-39BKennedy[170][171]
7312 November 1995
12:30:43 UTC
07:30:43 EST

Atlantis508d 04hLC-39AKennedy
  • Second Shuttle-Mir docking
  • Delivered docking module
  • Delivered IMAX cargo bay camera
[172][173]
7411 January 1996
09:41:00 UTC
04:41:00 EST

Endeavour608d 22hLC-39BKennedy[174][175]
7522 February 1996
20:18:00 UTC
15:18:00 EST

Columbia715d 17hLC-39BKennedy
  • Tethered satellite reflight, lost due to broken tether
[176][177]
7622 March 1996
08:13:04 UTC
03:13:04 EST

Atlantis6/509d 05hLC-39BEdwards
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[178][179]
7719 May 1996
10:30:00 UTC
06:30:00 EDT

Endeavour610d 00hLC-39BKennedy[180][181]
7820 June 1996
14:49:00 UTC
10:49:00 EDT

Columbia716d 21hLC-39BKennedy[182][183]
7916 September 1996
08:54:49 UTC
04:54:49 EDT

Atlantis6/610d 03hLC-39AKennedy
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[184][185]
8019 November 1996
19:55:47 UTC
14:55:47 EST

Columbia517d 15hLC-39BKennedy
  • Wake Shield Facility
  • Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (ORFEUS) II
  • Longest Space Shuttle mission flown
  • Story Musgrave becomes the only astronaut to fly on all five Space Shuttle orbiters
[186][187]
8112 January 1997
09:27:23 UTC
04:27:23 EST

Atlantis6/610d 04hLC-39BKennedy
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[188][189]
8211 February 1997
08:55:17 UTC
03:55:17 EST

Discovery709d 23hLC-39AKennedy[190][191]
834 April 1997
19:20:32 UTC
14:20:32 EST

Columbia703d 23hLC-39AKennedy[192][193]
8415 May 1997
08:07:48 UTC
04:07:48 EDT

Atlantis7/709d 05hLC-39AKennedy
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[194][195]
851 July 1997
18:02:00 UTC
14:02:00 EDT

Columbia715d 16hLC-39AKennedy[196][197]
867 August 1997
14:41:00 UTC
10:41:00 EDT

Discovery611d 20hLC-39AKennedy
  • Deployed and retrieved Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS)
[198][199]
8725 September 1997
14:34:19 UTC
10:34:19 EDT

Atlantis7/710d 19hLC-39AKennedy
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[200][201]
8819 November 1997
19:46:00 UTC
14:46:00 EST

Columbia615d 16hLC-39BKennedy[202][203]
8922 January 1998
02:48:15 UTC[c]
21:48:15 EST

Endeavour7/708d 19hLC-39AKennedy
  • Shuttle-Mir docking
[204][205]
9017 April 1998
18:19:00 UTC
14:19:00 EDT

Columbia715d 21hLC-39BKennedy[206][207]
912 June 1998
22:06:24 UTC
18:06:24 EDT

Discovery6/709d 19hLC-39AKennedy
  • Last Shuttle-Mir docking
[208][209]
9229 October 1998
19:19:34 UTC
14:19:34 EST

Discovery708d 21hLC-39BKennedy[210][211]
934 December 1998
08:35:34 UTC
03:35:34 EST

Endeavour611d 19hLC-39AKennedy[212][213]
9427 May 1999
10:49:42 UTC
06:49:42 EDT

Discovery709d 19hLC-39BKennedy[214][215]
9523 July 1999
04:31:00 UTC
00:31:00 EDT

Columbia504d 22hLC-39BKennedy[216][217]
9619 December 1999
00:50:00 UTC[c]
19:50:00 EST

Discovery707d 23hLC-39BKennedy[218][219]
9711 February 2000
16:43:40 UTC
12:43:40 EDT

Endeavour611d 05hLC-39AKennedy[220][221]
9819 May 2000
10:11:10 UTC
06:11:10 EDT

Atlantis709d 21hLC-39AKennedy[222][223]
998 September 2000
12:45:47 UTC
08:45:47 EDT

Atlantis711d 19hLC-39BKennedy[224][225]
10011 October 2000
23:17:00 UTC
18:17:00 EST

Discovery712d 21hLC-39AEdwards[226][227]
10130 November 2000
03:06:01 UTC[c]
22:06:01 EST

Endeavour510d 19hLC-39BKennedy[228][229]
1027 February 2001
23:13:02 UTC
18:13:02 EST

Atlantis512d 21hLC-39AEdwards[230][231]
1038 March 2001
11:42:09 UTC
06:42:09 EST

Discovery7/712d 19hLC-39BKennedy
  • ISS supply and crew rotation
[232][233]
10419 April 2001
18:40:42 UTC
14:40:42 EDT

Endeavour711d 21hLC-39AEdwards[234][235]
10512 July 2001
09:03:59 UTC
05:03:59 EDT

Atlantis512d 18hLC-39BKennedy[236][237]
10610 August 2001
21:10:14 UTC
17:10:14 EDT

Discovery7/711d 21hLC-39AKennedy
  • ISS supply and crew rotation
[238][239]
1075 December 2001
22:19:28 UTC
17:19:28 EST

Endeavour7/711d 19hLC-39BKennedy
  • ISS supply and crew rotation
[240][241]
1081 March 2002
11:22:02 UTC
06:22:02 EST

Columbia710d 22hLC-39AKennedy[242][243]
1098 April 2002
20:44:19 UTC
16:44:19 EDT

Atlantis710d 19hLC-39BKennedy[244][245]
1105 June 2002
21:22:49 UTC
17:22:49 EDT

Endeavour7/713d 20hLC-39AEdwards[246][247]
1117 October 2002
19:45:51 UTC
15:45:51 EDT

Atlantis610d 19hLC-39BKennedy[248][249]
11223 November 2002
00:49:47 UTC[c]
19:49:47 EST

Endeavour7/713d 18hLC-39AKennedy[250][251]
11316 January 2003
15:39:00 UTC
10:39:00 EST

Columbia715d 22hLC-39ADid not land[b][252][253]
11426 July 2005
14:39:00 UTC
10:39:00 EDT

Discovery713d 21hLC-39BEdwards
  • First post Columbia flight
  • Flight safety Evaluation/testing
  • ISS supply/repair
  • MPLM Raffaello
[254][255]
1154 July 2006
18:37:55 UTC
14:37:55 EDT

Discovery7/612d 18hLC-39BKennedy
  • ISS Flight ULF1.1: supply and crew rotation
  • MPLM Leonardo
[256][257]
1169 September 2006
15:14:55 UTC
11:14:55 EDT

Atlantis611d 19hLC-39BKennedy[258][259]
1179 December 2006
24:47:35 UTC
20:47:35 EDT

Discovery7/712d 21hLC-39BKennedy[260][261]
1188 June 2007
23:38:04 UTC
19:38:04 EDT

Atlantis7/713d 20hLC-39AEdwards[262][263]
1198 August 2007
22:36:42 UTC
18:36:42 EDT

Endeavour712d 18hLC-39AKennedy[264][265]
12023 October 2007
15:38:19 UTC
11:38:19 EDT

Discovery7/715d 02hLC-39AKennedy[266][267]
1217 February 2008
19:45:30 UTC
14:45:30 EST

Atlantis7/712d 18hLC-39AKennedy[268][269]
12211 March 2008
06:28:14 UTC
02:28:14 EDT

Endeavour7/715d 18hLC-39AKennedy[270][271]
12331 May 2008
21:02:12 UTC
17:02:12 EDT

Discovery7/713d 18hLC-39AKennedy[272][273]
12414 November 2008
24:55:39 UTC
19:55:39 EST

Endeavour7/715d 20hLC-39AEdwards[274][275]
12515 March 2009
23:43:44 UTC
19:43:44 EDT

Discovery7/712d 19hLC-39AKennedy[276][277]
12611 May 2009
18:01:56 UTC
14:01:56 EDT

Atlantis712d 21hLC-39AEdwards[278][279][280]
12715 July 2009
22:03:10 UTC
18:03:10 EDT

Endeavour7/715d 16hLC-39AKennedy
  • ISS assembly flight 2J/A: Japanese Experiment Modoules Exposed Facility (EF) and ELM ES
[281][282]
12828 August 2009
03:59:37 UTC[c]
23:59:37 EDT

Discovery7/713d 21hLC-39AEdwards[283][284]
12916 November 2009
19:28:01 UTC
14:28:01 EST

Atlantis6/710d 19hLC-39AKennedy[285][286]
1308 February 2010
09:14:07 UTC
04:14:07 EST

Endeavour613d 18hLC-39AKennedy[287][288]
1315 April 2010
10:21:25 UTC
06:21:25 EDT

Discovery715d 03hLC-39AKennedy[289][290]
13214 May 2010
18:20:09 UTC
14:20:09 EDT

Atlantis611d 18hLC-39AKennedy[291][292]
13324 February 2011
21:53:24 UTC
16:53:24 EST

Discovery612d 19hLC-39AKennedy[293][294]
13416 May 2011
12:56:28 UTC
08:56:28 EDT

Endeavour615d 18hLC-39AKennedy[295][296]
1358 July 2011
15:29:04 UTC
11:29:04 EDT

Atlantis412d 18hLC-39AKennedy[297][298][299]

Shuttle missions

Canceled missions

One initial emergency flight abort (RTLS) sub-orbital test mission was canceled due to high risk. Many other planned missions were canceled due to the late development of the shuttle, and the Challenger and Columbia disasters.

Four missions were cut short by a day or more while in orbit: STS-2 (equipment failure),[22] STS-35 (weather),[102] STS-44 (equipment failure),[193] and STS-83 (equipment failure, relaunched as STS-94).[193]

Contingency missions

Atlantis and Endeavour on LC-39A and LC-39B. Endeavour was slated to launch for STS-400 rescue mission should Atlantis (STS-125) be found unable to return safely to Earth.

STS-300 was the designation for the Space Shuttle Launch on Need (LON) missions to be launched on short notice for STS-114 and STS-121, in the event that the shuttle became disabled or damaged and could not safely return to Earth.[300][301][302] The rescue flight for STS-115, if needed, would have been STS-301. After STS-115, the rescue mission designations were based on the corresponding regular mission that would be replaced should the rescue mission be needed. For example, the STS-116 rescue mission was branded STS-317, because the normal mission scheduled after STS-116 was STS-117. Should the rescue mission have been needed, the crew and vehicle for STS-117 would assume the rescue mission profile and become STS-317. All potential rescue missions were to be launched with a crew of four, and would return with ten or eleven crew members, depending on the number of crew launched on the rescued shuttle. Missions were expected to last approximately eleven days. None of the planned contingency missions were ever flown.[303]

No contingency mission was planned for STS-135, the final shuttle mission. Instead, NASA planned to effect any required rescues one-by-one, using Russian Soyuz spacecraft.[304]

FlightRescue flight
STS-114 (Discovery)STS-300 (Atlantis)
STS-121 (Discovery)STS-300 (Atlantis)
STS-115 (Atlantis)STS-301 (Discovery)
STS-116 (Discovery)STS-317 (Atlantis)
STS-117 (Atlantis)STS-318 (Endeavour)
STS-118 (Endeavour)STS-322 (Discovery)
STS-120 (Discovery)STS-320 (Atlantis)[d]
STS-122 (Atlantis)STS-323 (Discovery)[e]
STS-123 (Endeavour)STS-324 (Discovery)
STS-124 (Discovery)STS-326 (Endeavour)
STS-125 (Atlantis)STS-400 (Endeavour)
STS-134 (Endeavour)STS-335 (Atlantis)

Flight statistics

Orbiters

Key
 Test vehicle
 Lost
ShuttleDesignationFlightsFlight timeOrbitsLongest flightFirst flightLast flightMir
dockings
ISS dockingsSources
FlightDateFlightDate
EnterpriseOV-101500d 00h 19m000d 00h 05mALT-1212 August 1977ALT-1626 October 1977[306][307][308][309]
ColumbiaOV-10228300d 17h 47m 15s4,80817d 15h 53m 18sSTS-112 April 1981STS-10716 January 200300[306][307][310][311][312]
ChallengerOV-0991062d 07h 56m 15s99508d 05h 23m 33sSTS-64 April 1983STS-51-L28 January 198600[306][307][313][314]
DiscoveryOV-10339364d 22h 39m 29s5,83015d 02h 48m 08sSTS-41-D30 August 1984STS-13324 February 2011113[306][307][315][316]
AtlantisOV-10433306d 14h 12m 43s4,84813d 20h 12m 44sSTS-51-J3 October 1985STS-1358 July 2011712[306][307][317][318]
EndeavourOV-10525296d 03h 34m 02s4,67716d 15h 08m 48sSTS-497 May 1992STS-13416 May 2011112[306][307][319][320]
Total1351330d 18h 9m 44s21,158937


Flights

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
  •   Enterprise
  •   Columbia
  •   Challenger
  •   Discovery
  •   Atlantis
  •   Endeavour

Timeline of missions

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Goodwin, Robert (2001). Space Shuttle – STS Flights 1-5 – The NASA Mission Reports. Canada: Apogee Books. ISBN 1-896522-69-6.
  • Heppenheimer, T.A. (2002). Development of the Space Shuttle: 1972–1981. United States of America: Smithsonian Press. ISBN 978-1-58834-009-2.

External links