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Space Shuttle

Overview

The space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft. From 1981 to 2011, NASA launched five orbiters—Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, and Endeavor—across 135 missions, after years of testing with the Enterprise prototype shuttle. These missions included deploying and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and delivering major payloads for the assembly of the International Space Station.

The Space Shuttle program—officially known as the Space Transportation System—received presidential approval in 1972. The entire vehicle consisted of the orbiter, two reusable solid rocket boosters that provided lift alongside the shuttle's three main engines, and the external tank, which supplied fuel for the engines and burned up in the atmosphere after launch. Each orbiter included a flight deck, the crew's living quarters, and a payload bay, supported by Canadarm, a mechanical arm that could move cargo.

Throughout its rocket launch, orbital flight, and unpowered glide back to Earth's surface, the space shuttle relied on cutting-edge communication, navigation, and thermal protection systems, enabling it to carry payloads of up to 27,500 kilograms (60,600 pounds) at speeds up to 28,000 kilometers (17,400 miles) per hour. However, high maintenance costs and safety concerns following the Challenger and Columbia disasters led to the fleet's retirement after the ISS was built.

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