NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

STS-1

Launch Time
Sun Apr 12, 1981 12:00 UTC

First flight of the Space Shuttle. First flight of a reusable orbital spacecraft.

Rocket

Space Shuttle Columbia
NASA
Status: Retired
Price: $450.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 30,250 kN
Payload to LEO: 27,500 kg
Payload to GTO: 3,810 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 2
Rocket Height: 56.1 m

Vehicles

Edwards Runway 23

OV-102

Flight #1

Mission Details

STS-1

STS-1 (Space Transportation System-1) was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The first orbiter, Columbia, launched on 12 April 1981 and returned on 14 April, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the Earth 36 times. Columbia carried a crew of two – mission commander John W. Young and pilot Robert L. Crippen.

Total Mass: 4,909.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Stats

1981

36th orbital launch attempt

Space Shuttle

1st mission
1st mission of 1981
1st successful mission