Space Shuttle - Fleet History

Fleet History

Below is a list of major events in the Space Shuttle orbiter fleet.

Space Shuttle major events
Date Orbiter Major event / remarks
September 17, 1976 Enterprise Prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise was rolled out of its assembly facility in Southern California and displayed before a crowd several thousand strong.
February 18, 1977 Enterprise First flight; Attached to Shuttle Carrier Aircraft throughout flight.
August 12, 1977 Enterprise First free flight; Tailcone on; lakebed landing.
October 26, 1977 Enterprise Final Enterprise free flight; First landing on Edwards AFB concrete runway.
April 12, 1981 Columbia First Columbia flight, first orbital test flight; STS-1
November 11, 1982 Columbia First operational flight of the Space Shuttle, first mission to carry four astronauts; STS-5
April 4, 1983 Challenger First Challenger flight; STS-6
August 30, 1984 Discovery First Discovery flight; STS-41-D
October 3, 1985 Atlantis First Atlantis flight; STS-51-J
October 30, 1985 Challenger First crew of eight astronauts; STS-61-A
January 28, 1986 Challenger Disaster starting 73 seconds after launch; STS-51-L; all seven crew members died.
September 29, 1988 Discovery First post-Challenger mission; STS-26
May 4, 1989 Atlantis The first Space Shuttle mission to launch a space probe, Magellan; STS-30
April 24, 1990 Discovery Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope; STS-31
May 7, 1992 Endeavour First Endeavour flight; STS-49
November 19, 1996 Columbia Longest Shuttle mission at 17 days, 15 hours; STS-80
December 4, 1998 Endeavour First ISS mission; STS-88
February 1, 2003 Columbia Disintegrated during re-entry; STS-107; all seven crew members died.
July 25, 2005 Discovery First post-Columbia mission; STS-114
February 24, 2011 Discovery Last Discovery flight; STS-133
May 16, 2011 Endeavour Last Endeavour mission; STS-134
July 8, 2011 Atlantis Last Atlantis flight and last Space Shuttle flight; STS-135

Sources: NASA launch manifest, NASA Space Shuttle archive

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    —William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

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    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)