Space Shuttle
American partially reusable crewed orbital launch system
NASA flew the Shuttle for thirty years, 1981 to 2011 — 135 missions, the only winged orbital vehicle ever to fly crews. Two were lost: Challenger in 1986 just after launch, Columbia in 2003 on re-entry. The fleet built the International Space Station before retiring.
Service 1981–2011
1981 to 2011
1981 first flight 1985 peak (9 launches) 2011 last flight
- launches
- 135
- success · 134/135
- 99%
Space Shuttle Launch Activity
Past launches and what's coming up
Full Launch History
Select a year to explore the archive
