NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

STS-2

Launch Time
Thu Nov 12, 1981 15:09 UTC

The first reuse of a crewed orbital spacecraft, and the first test of the Canadarm robotic arm; the test was truncated due to a fuel cell problem.

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 #2
214 day turnaround

Mission Details

STS-2

This mission tested the Shuttle Imaging Radar as part of the OSTA-1 payload, along with a wide range of other experiments including the Shuttle robotic arm, commonly known as Canadarm.[3] Other experiments or tests included the Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer, Feature Identification and Location Experiment, Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites, Ocean Color Experiment, Night/Day Optical Survey of Lightning, Heflex Bioengineering Test, and Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP).[3] One of the feats accomplished was various tests on the OMS including starting and restarting the rocket engines while in orbit and various adjustments to its orbit.

Total Mass: 8,517.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

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

Stats

1981

113th orbital launch attempt

Space Shuttle

2nd mission
2nd mission of 1981
2nd successful mission