NASA's Launch Schedule features the planned dates and details for missions by NASA and the partner nations in the International Space Station Program, including Russia, European Space Agency and Japan. To learn more about how the schedule is arranged and what it includes, check out Launch Schedule 101.
Updated - Nov. 3, 2011 at 11:10 a.m. EDT
The Soyuz TMA-22 is now firmly scheduled for a launch date no earlier than Nov. 13.
Legend: + Targeted For | * No Earlier Than (Tentative) | ** To Be Determined | (U/R) Under Review
2011 Launches
Date: Nov. 13 +
Assembly Flight: 28S
Mission: Expedition 29/30
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-22
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-22 will carry three Expedition 29/30 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: Nov. 26
Mission: Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Time: 10:02 AM. EST
Description: The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life and to determine the planet's habitability.
Date: December (U/R)
Mission: SpaceX
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9/Dragon
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 40
Description: NASA is working with SpaceX to combine its last two demonstration flights. If approved, the Falcon 9 rocket would launch the Dragon capsule to the International Space Station for a docking.
Date: Dec. 21 +
Assembly Flight: 29S
Mission: Expedition 30/31
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-03M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-03M will carry three Expedition 30/31 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: December +
Mission: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Launch Vehicle: Taurus II
Launch Site: Wallops Flight Facility
Launch Pad: 0A
Description: The Taurus II is scheduled for a test flight under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services agreement with the company.
2012 Launches
Date: February +
Mission: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Launch Vehicle: Cygnus/Taurus II
Launch Site: Wallops Flight Facility
Launch Pad: 0A
Description: The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for a demonstration flight on an Orbital Taurus II launch vehicle under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services agreement with the company.
Date: Feb. 3 *
Mission: NuSTAR
Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL
Launch Site: Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll
Description: The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is an Explorer mission that will allow astronomers to study the universe in high energy X-rays.
Date: March +
Assembly Flight: 30S
Mission: Expedition 31/32
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-04M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-04M will carry three Expedition 31/32 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: May +
Assembly Flight: 3R
Mission: Multipurpose Laboratory Module with European Robotic Arm (ERA)
Launch Vehicle: Russian Proton
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: A Russian Proton rocket will deliver the Multipurpose Laboratory Module with European Robotic Arm (ERA) to the International Space Station.
Date: May +
Assembly Flight: 31S
Mission: Expedition 32/33
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-05M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-05M will carry three Expedition 32/33 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: June
Mission: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-K (TDRS-K)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Description: The TDRS-K spacecraft is part of the next-generation series in the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a constellation of space-based communication satellites providing tracking, telemetry, command and high-bandwidth data return services.
Date: Aug. 23 *
Mission: RBSP
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-401
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Description: The Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission will help us understand the Sun's influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the Earth's radiation belts on various scales of space and time.
Date: October +
Assembly Flight: 32S
Mission: Expedition 33/34
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-06M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-06M will carry three Expedition 33/34 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: November +
Assembly Flight: 33S
Mission: Expedition 34/35
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-07M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-07M will carry three Expedition 34/35 crew members to the International Space Station.
2013 Launches
Date: March +
Assembly Flight: 34S
Mission: Expedition 35/36
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-08M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-08M will carry three Expedition 35/36 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: May +
Assembly Flight: 35S
Mission: Expedition 36/37
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-09M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description:Soyuz TMA-09M will carry three Expedition 36/37 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: September +
Assembly Flight: 36S
Mission: Expedition 37/38
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-10M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-10M will carry three Expedition 37/38 crew members to the International Space Station.
Date: November +
Assembly Flight: 37S
Mission: Expedition 38/39
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz TMA-11M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Description: Soyuz TMA-11M will carry three Expedition 38/39 crew members to the International Space Station.
STS-135
Mission Insignia
Mission Statistics
Mission name
Launch pad
Launch Occurred
Landing Pllanned
Mission duration
Orbital altitude
Orbital inclination
Distance traveled
For STS-135 mission updates, go to the Atlantis RSS feed. › Read more
Image above: Pictured in the STS-135 crew portrait are NASA astronauts
Chris Ferguson (center right), commander; Doug Hurley (center left),
pilot; Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus, both mission specialists. Image credit: NASA
The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 directs NASA to conduct the STS-135 mission. The Space Shuttle Program has added the mission to the manifest to prepare for a
potential target launch date for July 8th or later.
Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. The mission also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module to help NASA better understand the failure mechanism and improve pump designs for future systems.
› View Sept. 14, 2010, press release
STS-135 is the final planned mission of the American Space Shuttle.[3][4] It is planned to use the hardware officially being processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, since the Launch On Need (LON) rescue mission, designated to support STS-134, was not needed.
Although the mission was authorized, it initially had no appropriation in the NASA budget, raising questions about whether the mission would fly at all. On 20 January 2011, program managers changed STS-335 to STS-135 on the flight manifest. This allowed for training and other mission specific preparations.[5] On 13 February 2011, program managers told their workforce that STS-135 would fly “regardless” of what happens with the funding situation via a continuing resolution.[6] Until this point, there had been no official references to STS-135 mission in NASA official documentation for the general public.[7][8][9][10]
During an address at the Marshall Space Flight Center on 16 November 2010, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said that the agency needs to fly STS-135 to the station in 2011 because development of commercial rockets and spacecraft designed to transport cargo to the ISS is likely to be delayed. "We are hoping to fly a third shuttle mission [in addition to STS-133 and STS-134 in June 2011, what everybody calls the launch-on-need mission ... and that's really needed to [buy down] the risk for the development time for commercial cargo," Bolden said.[11]
Space Shuttle Atlantis is to fly the 12-day mission; For this mission, Atlantis would carry the STS-335 four-person crew (the smallest of any shuttle mission since April 1983 on STS-6) and the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello and a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC). The mission is included in NASA's 2011 authorization,[12] signed into law on 11 October 2010, but funding is dependent on a subsequent appropriation bill. United Space Alliance signed a contract extension for this mission, along with STS-134; the contract contains six one-month options with NASA in order to support continuing operations. All STS-135 crew members have been custom fitted for a Russian Sokol space suit and molded Soyuz seat liner should they be forced to return to Earth via Soyuz capsule in the event that the shuttle is unable to make the reentry and land.[13]
The U.S. government budget approved in mid-April 2011 calls for $5.5 billion for NASA's space operations division, which includes the space shuttle and space station programs. According to NASA, the budget which runs through 30 September 2011 ended all concerns about funding the STS-135 mission.[14]
Mission Poster of STS-135.
NASA announced the STS-335/135 crew on 14 September 2010.[15] It will be the first time that a crew of four will fly to the International Space Station. The last shuttle mission to fly with just four crew members occurred 28 years prior to STS-135, for STS-6 on 4 April 1983 aboard Space Shuttle Challenger. The reduced crew size allows the mission to maximize the amount of payload carried to the ISS and also allows for a rescue by a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be performed if necessary.[16]
With support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the fate of STS-135 ultimately depended on whether lawmakers could agree to fund converting the mission from launch-on-need to an actual flight.[3]
On 15 July 2010, a U.S. Senate committee passed the 2010 NASA reauthorization bill, authored by Senator Bill Nelson, to direct NASA to fly an extra space shuttle mission (STS-135) pending a review of safety concerns.[17] The bill still needed the approval of the full Senate. A draft NASA reauthorization bill considered by the House Science & Technology Committee did not provide for an extra shuttle mission.[18] On 22 July 2010 U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, during a meeting of the House Science Committee, successfully amended the House version of the bill to add an additional shuttle mission to the manifest.[19]
On 5 August 2010, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the NASA reauthorization bill just before lawmakers left for the traditional August recess.[20][21] On 20 August 2010, NASA managers approved STS-135 mission planning targeting a 28 June 2011 launch.[3] On 29 September 2010 the U.S. House approved the Senate-passed bill on a 304–118 vote.[22] The bill, approved by the U.S. Congress, went to President Barack Obama for his signature.[23]
On 11 October 2010, President Obama signed the legislation into law, allowing NASA to move forward with STS-135,[4][24] though without specific funding.
As of 20 January 2011, STS-135's designation was officially changed from STS-335. It is targeting a 28 June 2011 launch date but still lacks funding.[5]
As of 14 February 2011, NASA managers announced that STS-135 will fly 'regardless' of the funding situation in Congress.[25]
The mission marks:
166th (and currently the final planned) NASA manned space flight
135th shuttle mission since STS-1
33rd flight of Atlantis
3rd shuttle flight in 2011
37th shuttle mission to the ISS
110th post-Challenger mission
22nd post-Columbia mission
Atlantis will ferry extra supplies to the International Space Station. Since the ISS program has a strong likelihood of being extended to 2020, it is probable that the station will require more spare supplies after the shuttle retires. The shuttle extension would allow for the crew to maintain the completed space station, but an ISS extension is not a guaranteed shuttle program extension. Therefore, the more delivery of excess supplies for the station, the better.[26]
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello will make up the majority of the payload. The MPLM will be filled with 16 resupply racks, which is the maximum that it can handle.
The Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC) will also be flown on this mission. The External Thermal Cooling System (ETCS) Pump Module (PM) which failed and was replaced on orbit in August 2010, is planned to have a ride home on the LMC so that a failure analysis can be performed on the ground. It has not been determined what, if anything, will ride up to the station on the LMC.[3]
Atlantis will carry the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) developed by the Satellite Servicing Capabilities project at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It plans to demonstrate the technology and tools to refuel satellites in orbit by robotic means.[27] After the proof of concept, the long-term goal of NASA is to transfer the technology to the commercial sector.[27]
RRM will include four tools, each of these incorporating electronics and two cameras and lights. Additionally it will have pumps and controllers and electrical systems such as electrical valves and sensors.[28]
The RRM payload was transported to the Kennedy Space Center in early March, 2011 where the GSFC team will perform the final preparations for space flight. Once up in the International Space Station, RRM will be installed into the ELC-4. The Dextre robot will be used during the refueling demonstration.
The failed ammonia pump module that was replaced in August 2010 is expected to be returned inside Atlantis' payload bay. Also, a problematic Common Cabin Air Assembly (CCAA) Heat Exchanger (HX) is expected to be returned inside the MPLM.
Raffaello in the Space Station Processing Facility
Robotic Refueling Mission
External Tank ET-138 in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Atlantis makes its rollover to the VAB.
ET-138 was produced at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans and arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on the Pegasus barge.[29] After offloading, the tank was transported into a checkout cell inside the VAB on 14 July 2010.
NASA initially planned for STS-134 (Endeavour) to fly with the newer ET-138 and for the LON STS-335 (Atlantis) mission to utilize the refurbished ET-122 only in the event that a rescue of Endeavour's crew were required. During Hurricane Katrina, ET-122 was damaged at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans and while the tank was certified as completely flight-worthy after its repairs were completed, NASA management ruled that ET-122 posed a slightly higher risk of losing foam from the repaired areas and therefore assigned it to the STS-335 mission that would likely never fly. However, once it was decided to fly Atlantis on a full STS-135 mission, the tank assignments were swapped so that in the event STS-134 (Endeavour) were to suffer damage from ET-122, Atlantis with the newer and less risky ET-138 would be poised to rescue Endeavour's crew.[30]
Early December 2010, ground technicians installed the main engines on Atlantis. The Shuttle received the center engine on 7 December 2010, followed by the lower-right engine and the lower-left on 8 and 9 December 2010 respectively inside Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF-1). The event marked the last set of main engines ever to be installed on a space shuttle.[31]
Stacking operations of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the mission commenced in the evening hours of 29 March 2011.[32] Technicians inside the VAB, lifted the left-aft segment from the handling crate and carefully maneuvered into High Bay No. 1 and finally onto the mobile launch platform. The booster stacking was completed in mid April. The completed boosters had a mixture of refurbished and unflown elements (11 sections on each booster). For example, the forward dome for the right-hand booster is new, while the upper cylinder on the left booster flew with STS-1 – the historic maiden flight of Space Shuttle Columbia.[33] (For detailed information on the STS-135 boosters, see[34])
After completing the assembly process, the External Tank-138 was mated to the SRBs on 25 April.
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama viewed Space Shuttle Atlantis on their visit to the Kennedy Space Center on 29 April 2011.[35] The first family missed the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-134 mission. The launch was scrubbed due to problems with two heaters on one of the Endeavour's auxiliary power units (APUs).
During the tour to see Atlantis at the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF-1), the first family was accompanied by Terry White and astronaut Janet Kavandi. Standing under the wings of space shuttle Atlantis, Terry White, a United Space Alliance tile technician, gave the president and his family an informal tutorial.[36]
Marking the historic final ever rollout of a Space Shuttle, Atlantis moves to Launch Pad 39A bathed in Xenon lights.
On the early morning of 17 May 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis departed OPF-1 and headed to the VAB for mating operations with ET-138.[37] The short trip took longer than normal and allowed the shuttle workers to pose for a photo opportunity with the shuttle. The four STS-135 astronauts were also present at the historic moment to greet the workers and the media.[38][39] Atlantis remained on the Orbiter Transport System overnight, as opposed to heading over to High Bay 1 on the same day.
Inside the VAB transfer aisle, the lifting operations to rotate Atlantis vertically commenced on 18 May 2011. The massive crane that hoisted the shuttle placed it into the adjacent high bay. Atlantis was next lowered to meet up with the external tank and the two solid rocket boosters. The mating operations were completed on 19 May 2011. On the same day NASA also officially announced 8 July 2011 as the launch date of the STS-135 mission.
Atlantis was rolled to Launch Pad 39A on 1st June.[40] The first motion of Atlantis out of the Vehicle Assembly Building began at 8:42 p.m. EDT on May 31. Due to a minor hydraulic leak on a corner valve for the jacking and elevation system on the crawler-transporter, the move was delayed by 40 minutes.[41] After the 3.4 mile journey, the shuttle was secured on the launch pad 39 A at 3:29 a.m. EDT on 1 June 2011.[42]
Large crowds including NASA work force families were present during the rollout. The STS-135 crew of Ferguson, Hurley, Magnus and Walheim was also at the Kennedy Space Center to witness the historic final ever rollout of a Space Shuttle. The four participated in an informal Question & Answer session with news media which was aired live on NASA TV. While Atlantis was rolled out to the launch pad, Endeavour was landing a few miles away at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Endeavour landed on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 2:34 a.m. EDT after completing the STS-134 mission.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Ken Kremer on May 22, 2011 from www.UniverseToday.com
First ever Photos of Shuttle-Space Station Stack coming on May 23, 2011
This still image from a NASA computer generated animation shows three different views of how the Soyuz TMA-20 crew will undock from the ISS on Monday May 23, 2011. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will capture first ever photos and video of a space shuttle -Endeavour -docked to International Space Station
from his departing Russian Soyuz capsule. Credit: NASA TV.
Watch Video simulation below
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER: Get ready for the ultimate photo op in space – set for the International Space Station joined to Space Shuttle Endeavour and topped off by Planet Earth as the backdrop.
And it’s coming up momentarily because of an unexpected and “unique opportunity” that’s also taking place at nearly the last possible moment in the life of the soon to be retired Space Shuttle program.
On Monday, May 23, Italian Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will snap the first ever photos and video of a US Space Shuttle orbiter while it is simultaneously still docked to the International Space Station, NASA officials just announced on Friday, May 19.
Video Caption: This computer generated animation depicts the view the Soyuz crew will see as they depart from the International Space Station (upper left) on May 23, 2011 at 5:32 p.m. EDT. Italian Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will capture an incredible and first ever imagery of the stacked station/shuttle complex with a space shuttle orbiter; the Endeavour. Bottom view shows side view of the Soyuz departing the ISS. Credit: NASA
Nespoli will capture the dramatic and historic imagery – in a newly devised plan – while he is departing the “Shuttle- Station stack” aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and heading for a landing back on Earth with two crewmates barely 4 hours later in Kazakhstan.
“We have a unique opportunity. We are calling this Soyuz undock with imagery,” said Kenneth Todd, chair of NASA’s space station mission management team. “We are not calling this a Soyuz flyaround or flyabout.”
“This is going to be a great opportunity for the spaceflight community.”
After months of high level international negotiations since the STS-133 mission, NASA and Russian space officials from the space shuttle and space station teams have finally agreed on a arrangement for utilizing a crewed Soyuz vehicle to record the first ever photos showing a shuttle while still docked to the massive orbiting outpost in the same field of view.
The chance to do the shuttle- station photo documentation in this way only became possible when the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour was scrubbed on April 29 and the resulting delayed launch of the STS-134 mission on May 16 fortuitously afforded an overlapping time period that coincided with the Soyuz TMA-20 crew departure.
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from Pad 39 A on May 16, 2011 on the STS-134 mission.
View from the countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour has delivered the $2 Billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station. The AMS will search for dark matter, dark energy and antimatter to determine the origin and evolution of the Universe. Credit: Ken Kremer
The photo opportunity will take place under what’s called a dual docked operations scenario whereby the Soyuz is undocked while a shuttle is still attached to the ISS.
“With 100 percent consensus, we approved this change to the baseline mission to go add this photo documentation task as part of the Soyuz TMA-20 undock,” Todd explained.
In order to accommodate the extra time required to accomplish the photo shoot, the Soyuz TMA-20 capsule will undock from the ISS one orbit earlier than originally scheduled, about 90 minutes, at 5:32 p.m. EDT.
Space Shuttle Atlantis docked to Russian Mir Space Station
on 29 June 1995.
Check out this perspective of what a space shuttle looks like when docked to an Earth orbiting space station. Atlantis is docked to the Mir Space Station on 29 June 1995 during the STS-71 mission. The shuttle has never before been photographed while attached to the Internalional Space Station. The photos of the Shuttle Endeavou and ISS Space Station stack are expected on May 23, 2010. Credit: Roscosmos
Nespoli is departing with ISS Expedition 27 commander and Russian cosmonaut Dimitry Kondratyev and NASA astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman. They will be completing a nearly six month stint in space aboard the ISS.”
“After the Soyuz undocks, they will back out to about 200 meters,” explained Courtney McMillan, STS-134 Station Team 4 Flight Director. “You will see they are a little bit above the velocity vector, above the station, and that is to keep the sun out of the pilot’s eyes.”
“After they get to the station keeping point, ISS will begin to maneuver, turning 130 degrees at 0.2 degrees per second.” The attitude was designed to provide the best perspective of the ISS and Endeavour.
“It will take 15 minutes to bring the whole stack around to get a side view and a really good view of Endeavour. This is an unusual attitude for the station to fly during a mated mission and people have done a lot of work to make sure this is a good thing to be doing. They have scrutinized the issue and are very comfortable with the plan.”
The station move will be done using thrusters on the Russian Segment service module – named Zvezda – and the thrusters on the docked Progress 42P vehicle, an unmanned Russian cargo ship. See diagram below.
Nespoli will have to float into the Soyuz vehicles forward habitation module – from his seat in the central descent module – and then snap the photo and video imagery through the modules windows. He will have a direct line of sight to the stack.
Paolo will have roughly 30 minutes time to collect all the imagery of the combined space complex during the photo survey, starting at about 5:50 p.m. EDT.
Then he will float back out of the habitation module, carefully seal the hatches in between and take his seat in the descent module.
The habitation module burns up in Earth orbit after the modules separate in preparation for the Soyuz’s deorbit and scorching reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Since the Soyuz will be pitched up during the undocking sequence, breathtaking views of Earth in the background of the “Shuttle-
Station stack” are expected.
The goal is to get good archival imagery of the space station stack with the shuttle attached. In addition to the gee whiz factor there are good reasons from an engineering perspective to record this imagery to assess the condition of the orbiting complex, NASA managers said.
“Future generations will look back on their history and look back at what we accomplished between these two very, very large programs – the shuttle and the space station – and realize it was amazing what we accomplished with the technology available at the time.”
“These pictures will be in textbooks to show what we did”, said Todd.
Exactly when the digital photos and video will be available for all to see is still to be determined. NASA and Russian space officials are discussing the details of when and how to distribute the imagery. The Soyuz is not equipped to transmit the imagery in real time.
“We hope to start seeing the photos and videos within a day of landing”, said Todd.
Paolo has snapped many gorgeous shots during his stay in space, including these of an Ariane V launching the European ATV cargo craft from French Guiana.
Go Paolo !
Read my story about the Final Shuttle mission, STS-135, here:
Atlantis Rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building with Final Space Shuttle Crew for July 8 Blastoff
Read my related stories about the STS-134 mission here:
Endeavour Blasts Off on Her 25th and Final Mission
Endeavour Unveiled for Historic Final Blastoff
Looking to the Heavens with Endeavour; Launch Pad Photo Special
Endeavour Astronauts Arrive at Cape for May 16 Launch
NASA Sets May 16 for Last Launch of Endeavour; Atlantis Slips to July
Endeavour’s Final Launch further delayed another Week or more
On the Cusp of Endeavour’s Final Flight
Brush Fires Erupt at Kennedy Space Center during Endeavour’s Last Countdown
Commander Mark Kelly and STS-134 Crew Arrive at Kennedy for Endeavour’s Final Flight
President Obama to Attend Endeavour’s Last Launch on April 29
Shuttle Endeavour Photo Special: On Top of Pad 39A for Final Flight
Endeavour Mated to Rockets for Last Flight Photo Album
Endeavour Rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building for Final Flight
Diagram of Russian Zvezda Service Module
Tagged as: esa, international space station, ISS, NASA, paolo nespoli, Soyuz, Space Shuttle Endeavour, zvezda
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NASA's 2011 LAUNCH SCHEDULE
SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR STS 134 LAUNCH OCCURRED AT 8:56 AM EDT ON 2011 MAY 16th
Space Shuttle Endeavour Occurred on Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m. EDT.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Updated -- May 20, 2011 - 11:22 a.m. EDT
Legend: + Targeted For | * No Earlier Than (Tentative) | ** To Be Determined
2011 Launches
Date: June 9
Mission: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base - SLC 2
Launch Time: 7:20:13 - 7:25:13 a.m. PDT / 10:20:13 - 10:25:13 a.m. EDT
Description: The Aquarius mission will measure ocean surface salinity to understand the links between ocean circulation, global water cycle and climate.
Date: July 8 +
Mission: STS-135 - LAST SHUTTLE FLIGHT EVER
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center - Launch Pad 39A
Launch Time: ~11:40 a.m. EDT
Description: Space shuttle Atlantis will carry the Raffaello multipurpose logistics module to deliver supplies, logistics and spare parts to the International Space Station. Atlantis also will fly a system to investigate the potential for robotically refueling existing spacecraft and return a failed ammonia pump module.
Date: Aug. 5
Mission: Juno
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Time: 11:39 a.m. EDT
Description: The solar-powered Juno spacecraft is to orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
Date: Sept. 8
Mission: GRAIL
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Times: 8:37:06 a.m. and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT
Description: The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.
Date: Oct. 25
Mission: NPP
Launch Vehicle: ULA Delta II
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Window: 2:47:35 a.m. - 2:57:35 a.m. PDT / 5:47:35 a.m. - 5:57:35 a.m. EDT
Description: The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) mission for NASA and NOAA is to measure Earth's atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological activity and cloud and aerosol properties.
Date: Nov. 25 *
Mission: Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Time: 10:21 a.m. EST
Description: The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life and to determine the planet's habitability.
2012 Launches
Date: Feb. 3
Mission: NuSTAR
Launch Vehicle: Orbital Pegasus XL
Launch site: Kwajalein Atoll
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is an Explorer mission that will allow astronomers to study the universe in high energy X-rays.
For NASA's Space Shuttle Flights and International Space Station Assembly Sequence, visit:
› Shuttle Consolidated Launch Manifest
Rollout of Space Shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 Mission commenced on 2011 March 10 at 07:56 EST and terminated on 2011 March 11 at 03:49 EST.[8]
Remaining Space Shuttle Missions
Launch: Targeted for June 28, 3:40 p.m. EDT
Landing: Planned for July 10, 11:03 a.m. EDT
Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim
Launch: Targeted for May 16th at 8:56 AM EDT
Spacewalks: One (conducted by ISS crew members)
51.6 degrees/122 nautical miles
Info: This will be the 36th shuttle mission to the station and the 134th shuttle flight.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center, FL 32899
THE LAST LAUNCH OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY
OCCURRED ON 2011 FEB 24 at 4:43 PM EST
DISCOVERY'S LANDING OCCURRED ON MARCH 9th at 11:57 AM EST
TWO MORE SHUTTLE LAUNCHES ARE LEFT AS FOLLOWS:
STS 134 - SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR --- APRIL 19th LAUNCH
STS 135 - SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ------- JUNE 28th LAUNCH (with only four astronauts)
SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ON LAUNCH PAD 39A FOR STS-129 PHOTOGRAPHED ON 2009 OCT. 30
STS-133
Mission Insignia
Mission Statistics
Crew Photo
From left to right: Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Eric Boe, Steven Lindsey, Michael Barratt and Timothy Kopra.
Related Missions
Previous Mission
Subsequent Mission
Mission Poster.
STS-133 (ISS assembly flight ULF5)[3] is the next planned mission of the Space Shuttle Program. The mission, currently scheduled for launch no
earlier than 2011 February 3rd, will be to the International Space Station.[4] The mission will transport the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo and the third of four ExPRESS Logistics Carrier's to the ISS. The mission will be the 39th and final flight of Discovery and the 133rd flight of the Space Shuttle Program, which began on 1981 April 12th.
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NEXT SHUTTLE LAUNCH IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 19th
ENDEAVOUR's LAST FLIGHT
STS-134
Mission Insignia
Mission Statistics
Mission name
Launch pad
Launch date
Landing
Mission duration
Orbital altitude
Orbital inclination
Distance traveled
Crew Photo
Pictured clockwise in the STS-134 crew portrait are NASA astronauts Mark Kelly (bottom center), commander; Gregory H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency’s Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists.
Related missions
Previous mission
Subsequent mission
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Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:25:45 AM AST
Now that space shuttle Discovery is stacked for launch, technicians will spend today and tomorrow testing all the connections between the shuttle, external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The shuttle is inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which is the launch site for all the agency's crewed missions and the home of the space shuttle fleet.
Discovery's six astronauts are practicing the launch of STS-133 today at NASA's Johnson Space Center, home of the astronaut corps and mission control. Johnson is full of simulators and mock-ups to allow in-depth training, including a replica of the shuttle flight deck.
The launch of Discovery is now set for 2010 Nov. 5.
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NASA Reschedules The Two Final Space Shuttle Launches
by Staff Writers of SpaceDaily.comWashington (AFP) July 1, 2010NASA said Thursday it was postponing the final two space shuttle launches before the program is phased out, citing a delay in needed equipment. The US space agency set November 5 for the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-133 mission, which had been planned for September 16.
NASA said the Shuttle Endeavour mission was rescheduled 2011 February 26 instead of late November.
"The target dates were adjusted because critical payload hardware for STS-133 will not be ready in time to support the previously planned September 16 launch," NASA said in a statement.
With the Discovery launch moving to November, the Endeavour mission "cannot fly as planned, so the next available launch window is in February 2011," NASA said, adding that the launch dates are subject to change.
The US space shuttles are being retired after President Barack Obama opted not to fund a successor program, deciding instead to encourage private spacecraft development.
The final two shuttle missions are both to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
The Endeavour's mission was already postponed from its original July 29 launch date to replace a part on the 1.5-billion-dollar Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer due for ISS delivery -- the device will delve into the mysterious dark matter thought to permeate the universe.
The Discovery mission will deliver replacement parts for the Italian-made Pressurized Multipurpose Module (PMM) Leonardo, which will be permanently attached to the ISS.
Once the shuttle program ends, the United States will rely on Russia's Soyuz rockets to carry its astronauts to the space station until a commercial US launcher can be developed. That is scheduled for 2015.
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Updated May 04, 2010
By Tariq Malik
- from Space.com
Lockheed Martin - Space Shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank, ET-137, is loaded into its Pegasus barge at the Michoud Assembly Facility
in New Orleans for shipment to NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The planned 6-day delivery was hampered by a massive oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico, which forced NASA to hire a commercial tug for part of the journey.
The massive oil spill plaguing the United States Gulf Coast has also thrown a wrench in NASA's plans to deliver a huge space shuttle fuel tank from Louisiana to Florida for the last launch of shuttle Discovery in September.
.The expanding oil slick has cut into the deep water route typically used by NASA barges and their tugs to haul the 15-story space shuttle fuel tanks from their manufacturing site -- the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans -- to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to be attached to an orbiter for launch.
Space shuttle program manager John Shannon said Monday that NASA's recovery ship Freedom Star -- one of two ships that deliver shuttle fuel tanks as well as retrieve an orbiter's twin reusable solid rocket boosters from the Atlantic Ocean after a launch -- is not equipped to make the shallow-water detour around the oil spill.
"It's kind of stuck in Gulfport, Mississippi right now because of the oil slick," Shannon told reporters in a morning briefing. "They've had to take a different path with the barge and the Freedom Star cannot do that shallow-water course to Michoud."
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill was caused by the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by British Petroleum. As of April 28, the resulting oil slick was estimated to have a circumference of about 600 miles, though the shape of the spill is irregular. The slick is enormous, and is big enough to be seen from space.
NASA is working with commercial ship operators to haul the Pegasus barge containing Discovery's fuel tank, called External Tank 137 (ET-137) from Michoud to the waiting Freedom Star in Gulfport, which will take over for the final trip to the Kennedy Space Center. The actual delivery work is expected to begin tonight, Shannon said.
It should take about six days for the fuel tank to make the 900-mile trip, Michoud officials added.
Space shuttle fuel tanks are built by Lockheed Martin and are too large to be delivered by train or truck. When fully fueled at the launch pad, they weigh about 1.7 million pounds, counting the 535,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant.
The tank delivery hiccup is not expected to affect plans to launch Discovery in mid-September on its last-ever spaceflight. Discovery just returned to Earth last month after delivering spare parts to the International Space Station. NASA engineers are now preparing the orbiter for its final flight.
That mission, called STS-133, is slated to launch toward the International Space Station on Sept. 16, but could slip slightly to allow extra time to prepare new spare parts for the nearly complete orbiting laboratory.
Discovery's STS-133 mission Is NASA's the second-to-last shuttle flight planned before the shuttle fleet retires in the fall. The Space Shuttle Endeavour will launch on the final mission, called STS-134, no earlier than Nov. 26 to deliver the $1.5 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the Space Station.
NASA's third space shuttle, Atlantis, is currently on target to launch its own final mission -- STS-132 -- on May 14. That flight is aimed at delivering a new Russian science module to the International Space Station.
It will be the first time in 15 years a Russian space room has flown on an American space shuttle. The last time was in 1995, when NASA delivered a new module to the Russian space station Mir.
Atlantis is due to fly a 12-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver the new Russian room. Three spacewalks are planned to install the module, replace solar array batteries and deliver much-needed spare parts.
Copyright © 2010 Space.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:51:09 AM EST
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is undergoing final preparation for liftoff Monday April 5th at 6:21 a.m. EDT. Technicians at Launch
Pad 39A\ are pressurizing the shuttle's reaction control system and main propulsion system for flight.
As they wrap up their final day at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-131 astronauts are preparing to arrive at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility\
tomorrow April 1st at about 7 a.m.
Image above: Discovery's STS-131 payload canister is raised into the launch pad's payload changeout room. Image credit: NASA/Troy Cryder
Discovery and Crew Prepare for STS-131 Mission
Commander Alan Poindexter is set to lead the STS-131 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Discovery. Joining Poindexter
will be Pilot Jim Dutton and Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Clay Anderson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko
Yamazaki of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Discovery will carry a multi-purpose logistics module filled with science racks for the laboratories aboard the station. The mission has three planned spacewalks, with work to include replacing an ammonia tank assembly, retrieving a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior, and switching
out a rate gyro assembly on the S0 segment of the station’s truss structure.
STS-131 will be the 33rd shuttle mission to the station.
Additional Resources
› STS-131 Press Kit (2.4 Mb PDF)
› STS-131 Mission Summary (890 Kb PDF)
Orbiter Status
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY FOR 2010 February 9
Night Launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on 2010 Feb 8 - 4:14 AM EST
Credit: NASA
Explanation: Sometimes, the space shuttle launches at night. Pictured above, the space shuttle Endeavour lifted off in the early morning hours of Feb 8 from Launch Pad 39A in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). A night launch, useful for reaching the space station easily during some times of the year, frequently creates vivid launch imagery. The shuttle, as pictured above, is framed by an enormous but typical exhaust plume ejected as the shuttle's powerful rockets began lifting the two million kilogram space bus into Earth orbit. Endeavour's mission, labeled STS-130, includes the delivery of the Tranquility module to the space station. Tranquility will provide extra room for space station astronauts and includes a large circular set of windows designed to bestow vastly
improved views of the Earth, the night sky, and the space station itself.
SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS VIEWED FROM THE ISS - 2009 NOV 25
Mission Managers Praise STS-129 Launch Teams
Monday 2009 Nov 16 at 4:15:31 PM EST
"What a great way to start this mission," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations. "I can't say enough about the teams that got this vehicle ready to fly."
Gerstenmaier congratulated the teams and the work they accomplished preparing the payload and vehicle for this complex and ambitious mission. "We still have a tough mission in front of us … but it (the shuttle) looked really, really good," Gerstenmaier continued.
Mike Moses, mission management team chairman, remarked that the launch ended up being picture-perfect after a low-layer of clouds settled over the center for the first few hours of the countdown. "As a management team we had no issues of any note to talk about," Moses said. "It (the countdown) was nice and quiet and smooth."
"We had a great countdown today," said Mike Leinbach, shuttle launch director. He said Atlantis broke the record for the lowest problems reported, previously held by space shuttle Discovery. "It's due to the team and the hardware processing. They just did a great job."
The record will probably never be broken again in the history of the Space Shuttle Program, so congratulations to them," Leinbach continued.
Leinbach also honored the midbody team with an award for the processing of Atlantis' payload bay, which included the turnaround "down-processing" after the return of Atlantis from the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. He said they did an outstanding job and they deserved their award today.
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:19:25 PM EST
The six astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-129 mission are at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida tonight. They arrived at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility in staggered waves between about 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. EST. The crew will finish the full launch dress rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, or TCDT.
Tonight, STS-129 Commander Charlie Hobaugh and Pilot Barry Wilmore will practice shuttle landings in modified Gulfstream II jets called Shuttle Training Aircraft.
Tuesday, the launch team with all six crew members inside Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A will go through a countdown simulation. Additional training associated with TCDT was done last month, but the simulated countdown was postponed until this week because of a scheduling conflict with the launch of NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket.
After the launch simulation and emergency pad escape training, the astronauts will inspect the cargo that they’ll take to the International Space Station before returning to Johnson Space Center in Houston Tuesday afternoon.
Atlantis was launched on its 11-day supply mission to the space station on 2009 Nov 16 at 2:28:10 PM EST
AND LANDED AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER ON 2009 NOVEMBER 27 at 9:44 AM EST
At Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and xenon lights illuminate the Ares I-X rocket awaiting liftoff of its flight test. Image credit: NASA TV
Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X
Launch Date: Oct. 27
Launch Time: 8 a.m. EDT
Launch Pad: 39B
Launch Site: NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
NASA's first flight test for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system, called Ares I-X, will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals. The flight test will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.
More Information
› Prelaunch Events and Countdown Details
› Ares I-X Press Kit (PDF, 3.2 MB )
› Ares I-X Fact Sheet (PDF, 1.0 MB)
› Ares I-X Mission Specifications (PDF, 8 MB)
› Ares I-X Integration Map (PDF, 4 MB)
› Comment on the upcoming Ares I-X launch
I
Image above: Space Shuttle Atlantis is carefully lowered into position on the side of the external tank in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The stacking operation is a major milestone in the preparation of the shuttle for launch next month. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Preparations for STS-129 Mission in Full Swing
The STS-129 mission will be commanded by Charles O. Hobaugh and piloted by Barry E. Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert L. Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.
Atlantis and its crew will deliver two control moment gyroscopes, equipment and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2 to the International Space Station. The mission will feature three spacewalks.
Atlantis also will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth and is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight.
Launch of Atlantis on the STS-129 Mission Occurred on Monday 2:28:10 PM EST Nov. 16.
AND ENDED WITH THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER LANDING ON FRIDAY 2009 NOV 27 AT 9:44 AM EST
STS-129 Additional Resources
Orbiter Status
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
You might be interested in:
Live: Endeavour space shuttle launch (USATODAY.com in Science Fair)
Endeavour in final full day of launch preparations (USATODAY.com in Science Fair)
NASA repairing leak on space shuttle fuel tank (USATODAY.com in Tech)
More storms threaten Monday shuttle launch attempt (USATODAY.com in Tech)
For NASA's Space Shuttle Flights and International Space Station Assembly Sequence, visit:
› Shuttle Consolidated Launch Manifest
For NASA's Space Shuttle Flights and International Space Station Assembly Sequence, visit:
› Shuttle Consolidated Launch Manifest
This is a list of missions flown by space shuttles. As of 2009, only the United States has flown human spaceflight shuttle missions in the Space Shuttle program, while the Soviet Union flew one unmanned flight of the Buran.[1][2][3]
U.S. shuttle Columbia landing at the end of STS-73.
The shuttle is officially referred to as the Space Transportation System (STS). Specific shuttle missions are therefore designated with the prefix "STS." Initially, the launches were given sequential numbers indicating order of launch, such as STS-9. This scheme continued for 25 launches and 8 cancellations through STS-33.[3]
Beginning in 1984, each mission was also assigned a code, such as STS-41-B, with the first digit indicating the federal fiscal year offset into the program (so 41-B was scheduled for FY 1984, 51-L originally for FY 1985 and the third flight in FY 1995 would have been named 151-C), the second digit indicating the launch site (1 was Kennedy Space Center and 2 was Shuttle Launch Complex (SLC) 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, although Vandenberg was never used), and the letter indicating scheduling sequence. These codes were assigned when the launches were initially scheduled and were not changed as missions were delayed or rescheduled.[3]
Although the codes were adopted from STS-41-B through STS-51-L the sequential numbers were used internally at NASA on all processing paperwork. Flights were assigned with sequential numbers from STS-9 through STS-33. With the resumption of flights in 1988, NASA restarted with STS-26R, the "reflight" suffix to disambiguate from prior missions. This continued through STS-33R.[3]
After the Challenger disaster, a sequential numbering system only was used, with the number according to counting from the beginning, although, unlike the initial system, the assignment of numbers is based on the initial schedule and may not reflect launch order. The letter indicates that the intermediate numbering system applies, and e.g. flight STS-51 was many years after STS-51-A.[3]
STS-300 was the designation for the space shuttle Launch on Need (LON) missions to be launched on short notice for STS-114 and STS-121, in the event that the shuttle became disabled or damaged and could not safely return to Earth.[4][5] After STS-121, the rescue flight for STS-115, if needed, would have been STS-301. After STS-115, the rescue mission designations changed again. They are now based on the corresponding regular mission that would be replaced should the rescue mission be needed. For example, the STS-116 rescue mission was branded STS-317, because the normal mission scheduled after STS-116 was STS-117. Should the rescue mission have been needed, the crew and vehicle for STS-117 would assume the rescue mission profile and become STS-317.
Soviet Space Shuttle Buran landing after its first (and only) mission
(as of 2009 July 28)
† No longer in service (destroyed).
† Destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002
See also: Timeline of Space Shuttle Missions
Order
Day
Year
Mission
Shuttle
Crew
Duration
Landing Site
Notes
0.1 (1)
0.2 (2)
0.3 (3)
0.4 (4)
0.5 (5)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
26.5 —
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
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50
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54
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56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
August 12
September 13
September 23
October 12
October 26
April 12
November 12
March 22
June 27
November 11
April 4
June 18
August 30
November 28
February 3
April 6
August 30
October 5
November 8
January 24
April 12
April 29
June 17
July 29
August 27
October 3
October 30
November 26
January 12
January 28
September 29
November 15
December 2
March 13
May 4
August 8
October 18
November 22
January 9
February 28
April 24
October 6
November 15
December 2
April 5
April 28
June 5
August 2
September 12
November 24
January 22
March 24
May 7
June 25
July 31
September 12
October 22
December 2
January 13
April 8
April 26
June 21
September 12
October 18
December 2
February 3
March 4
April 9
July 8
September 9
September 30
November 3
February 3
March 2
June 27
July 13
September 7
October 20
November 12
January 11
February 22
March 22
May 19
June 20
September 16
November 19
January 12
February 11
April 4
May 15
July 1
August 7
September 25
November 19
January 22
April 17
June 2
October 29
December 4
May 27
July 23
December 19
February 11
May 19
September 8
October 11
November 30
February 7
March 8
April 19
July 12
August 10
December 5
March 1
April 8
June 5
October 7
November 23
January 16
July 26
July 4
September 9
December 9
June 8
August 8
October 23
February 7
March 11
May 31
November 14
March 15
May 11
July 15
1977
1977
1977
1977
1977
1981
1981
1982
1982
1982
1983
1983
1983
1983
1984
1984
1984
1984
1984
1985
1985
1985
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2009
2009
Enterprise
Enterprise
Enterprise
Enterprise
Enterprise
Columbia
Columbia
Columbia
Columbia
Columbia
Challenger
Challenger
Challenger
Columbia
Challenger
Challenger
Discovery
Challenger
Discovery
Discovery
Discovery
Challenger
Discovery
Challenger
Discovery
Atlantis
Challenger
Atlantis
Columbia
Challenger
Discovery
Buran 1.01
Atlantis
Discovery
Atlantis
Columbia
Atlantis
Discovery
Columbia
Atlantis
Discovery
Discovery
Atlantis
Columbia
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Discovery
Columbia
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Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Columbia
Atlantis
Endeavour
Columbia
Discovery
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Discovery
Columbia
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Discovery
Columbia
Endeavour
Discovery
Columbia
Endeavour
Columbia
Discovery
Endeavour
Atlantis
Discovery
Endeavour
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Discovery
Endeavour
Columbia
Atlantis
Endeavour
Columbia
Atlantis
Endeavour
Columbia
Atlantis
Columbia
Atlantis
Discovery
Columbia
Atlantis
Columbia
Discovery
Atlantis
Columbia
Endeavour
Columbia
Discovery
Discovery
Endeavour
Discovery
Columbia
Discovery
Endeavour
Atlantis
Atlantis
Discovery
Endeavour
Atlantis
Discovery
Endeavour
Atlantis
Discovery
Endeavour
Columbia
Atlantis
Endeavour
Atlantis
Endeavour
Columbia
Discovery
Discovery
Atlantis
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Discovery
Endeavour
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
4
5
5
6
5
5
6
7
5
5
7
7
7
7
5
5
8
7
7
7
5
0
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
7
5
7
7
5
5
6
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7
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7
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5
5
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7
6
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7
7
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7
6
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7/8
5
5
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5
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7
6/5
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6/6
5
6/6
7
7
7/7
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7/7
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7/7
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6/7
7
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5
7
6
7
7
7
5
5
7/7
7
5
7/7
7/7
7
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7/7
6
7/7
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7/6
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7/7
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7
7/7
7/7
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7/7
7
7/7
0d 0h 5 m
0d 0h 5 m
0d 0h 5 m
0d 0h 2 m
0d 0h 2 m
2d 6h
2d 6h
8d 0h
7d 1h
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17d 15h
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~16d
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N/A
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Kennedy
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Kennedy
Kennedy
N/A (Ken.)
Edwards
Kennedy
Kennedy
Kennedy
Edwards
Kennedy
Kennedy
Kennedy
Kennedy
Kennedy
Edwards
Kennedy
Edwards
First free flight of Space Shuttle; first non-captive flight of Enterprise
Second free flight
Third free flight
Fourth free flight; first flight without tailcone (operational configuration)
Final free flight; final non-captive flight of Enterprise
First reusable spacecraft flight; first flight of Columbia
First reuse of a manned space vehicle; first test of Canadarm robot arm; Truncated due to fuel cell problem.
Shuttle R&D flight, first and only landing at White Sands, New Mexico
Last shuttle R&D flight, first DoD payload
Multiple comsat launches. First EVA of program canceled due to suit problems
TDRS launch; first flight of Challenger; first space shuttle extra-vehicular activity
First US woman in space Sally Ride; Multiple comsat launches; First deployment and retrieval of a satellite SPAS
Comsat launch, first flight of an African American in space, Guion Bluford; test of robot arm on heavy payloads with Payload Flight Test Article
First Spacelab mission
Comsat launches, first untethered spacewalk by Bruce McCandless II with Manned Maneuvering Unit; first landing at KSC; dry run of equipment for Solar Max rescue
Solar Max servicing (first satellite rescue by astronauts), LDEF launch
Multiple comsat launches; first flight of Discovery, test of OAST-1 Solar Array
Earth Radiation Budget Satellite launch; First flight of two women in space Ride and Sullivan; First spacewalk by US woman, Kathryn Sullivan
Multiple comsat launches, retrieval of two other comsats Palapa B2 and Westar VI which were subsequently refurbished on Earth and reflown
First classified Department of Defense (DoD) mission; Magnum satellite launch
Multiple comsat launches, first flight of a sitting politician in space, Jake Garn, first impromptu EVA of program to fix Syncom F3 (Leasat 3)
Spacelab mission
Multiple comsat launches
Spacelab mission
Multiple comsat launches, rescue of Syncom F3 (Leasat-3) by Astronauts
Second classified DoD mission; DSCS satellite launch; first flight of Atlantis
Spacelab mission, last successful mission of Challenger
Multiple comsat launches, EASE/ACCESS experiment
Comsat launch, flight of US Congressman Bill Nelson
Planned TDRS launch, Loss of vehicle and crew, Teacher in Space Flight
TDRS launch; first post Challenger flight
Russian unmanned test flight
Third classified DoD mission; Lacrosse 1 launch
TDRS-D/IUS, IMAX, SHARE I space station radiator experiment.
Magellan Venus probe launch
Fourth classified DoD mission; Satellite Data System launch
Galileo Jupiter probe launch, IMAX
Fifth classified DoD mission; Magnum/IUS
SYNCOM IV-F5 satellite launch, LDEF retrieval, IMAX
Sixth classified DoD mission; Misty reconnaissance satellite launch
Hubble Space Telescope launch
Ulysses/IUS solar probe launch
Seventh classified DoD mission. Likely SDS2-2 deployed.
Use of ASTRO-1 observatory
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory launch
First unclassified DoD mission; military science experiments
Spacelab mission
TDRS launch
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite launch
DSP satellite launch
Spacelab mission
ATLAS-1 science platform
Intelsat VI repair; first flight of Endeavour First 3 person EVA. ASEM space station truss experiment EVA, record four EVAs total for mission.
Spacelab mission
EURECA (European Retrievable Carrier) and the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency Tethered Satellite System (TSS)
Spacelab mission SL-J(Japan).
LAGEOS II, microgravity experiments
Partially classified 10th and final DoD mission. Likely deployment of SDS2 satellite.
TDRS-F/IUS launch
ATLAS-2 science platform
Spacelab mission
ACTS satellite launched, SPAS-Orfeus with IMAX camera.
Spacelab mission
Hubble Space Telescope servicing
SPACEHAB, Wake Shield Facility
Microgravity experiments
Shuttle Radar Laboratory-1
Spacelab mission
Multiple science experiments; SPARTAN
Space Radar Laboratory-2
ATLAS-3 science platform
Mir rendezvous, Spacehab, IMAX
ASTRO-2
First Shuttle-Mir docking
TDRS-G/IUS launch
Wake Shield Facility, SPARTAN
Spacelab mission
2nd Shuttle-Mir docking. Delivered docking module. IMAX cargo bay camera.
Retrieved Japan's Space Flyer Unit, 2 EVAs.
Tethered satellite reflight, lost due to broken tether.
Shuttle-Mir docking
SPACEHAB; SPARTAN
Spacelab mission
Shuttle-Mir docking
Wake Shield Facility; ASTRO-SPAS
Shuttle-Mir docking
Hubble Space Telescope servicing
Truncated due to fuel cell problem
Shuttle-Mir docking
Spacelab mission
CRISTA-SPAS
Shuttle-Mir docking
Microgravity experiments, 2 EVAs, SPARTAN
Shuttle-Mir docking
Spacelab mission
Last Shuttle-Mir docking
SPACEHAB; John Glenn flies again
ISS assembly flight 2A: Node 1. First Shuttle ISS assembly flight
ISS supply
Chandra X-ray Observatory launch
Hubble Space Telescope servicing
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
ISS supply
ISS supply
ISS assembly flight 3A: Z1 truss
ISS assembly flight 4A: P6 solar arrays, radiators
ISS assembly flight 5A: Destiny lab
ISS supply, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 6A: robotic arm
ISS assembly flight 7A: Quest Joint Airlock
ISS supply, crew rotation
ISS supply, crew rotation
Hubble Space Telescope servicing, last successful mission for Columbia before STS-107
ISS assembly flight 8A: S0 truss
ISS supply, crew rotation, Mobile Base System
ISS assembly flight 9A: S1 truss
ISS assembly flight 11A: P1 truss, crew rotation, last successful mission before STS-107
SPACEHAB; Loss of vehicle and crew before landing at KSC
First post Columbia flight. Flight safety evaluation/testing, ISS supply/repair, MPLM Raffaello
ISS Flight ULF1.1: Supply, crew rotation, MPLM Leonardo
ISS assembly flight 12A: P3/P4 Truss, Solar Arrays
ISS assembly flight 12A.1: P5 Truss & Spacehab-SM, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 13A: S3/S4 Truss, Solar Arrays, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 13A.1: S5 Truss & Spacehab-SM & ESP3. First use of SSPTS (Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System)
ISS assembly flight 10A: US Harmony module, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 1E: European Laboratory Columbus, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 1J/A: JEM ELM PS & SPDM, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 1J: JEM - Japanese module Kibo & JEM RMS
ISS assembly flight ULF2: MPLM Leonardo, crew rotation
ISS assembly flight 15A: S6 Truss, Solar Arrays
Last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission (HST SM-04). Final Non-ISS flight.
ISS assembly flight 2J/A: JEM Exposed Facility (EF) & JEM ELM ES.
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
August 28
November 16
February 4
March 18
May 14
July 29
September 16
2009
2009
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Discovery
7/7
6/7
6
7
6
13d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~15d
ISS assembly flight 17A: MPLM Leonardo & 7 person ISS crew.
ISS assembly flight ULF3: EXPRESS Logistics Carriers (ELCs) 1 & 2.
ISS assembly flight 20A: Node 3 and Cupola.
ISS assembly flight Utility and Logistics Flight 4: Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Raffaello.
ISS assembly flight 19A: Mini-Research Module 1. Final planned flight of Atlantis.
ISS assembly flight ULF5, MPLM Leonardo, ELC 3. Final flight of Endeavour.
ISS assembly flight ULF5, ELC 4, ROEU, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Final planned flight of Discovery; final Shuttle flight of the program.
Special Missions[9]
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
Never flew
2005-6
2006
2007
2007
2007
2007
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2009
2010
2010
Atlantis
Discovery
Atlantis
Endeavour
Discovery
Atlantis
Discovery ¹
Discovery
Endeavour
Endeavour
Discovery
Endeavour
Discovery
Atlantis
4/11
4/10
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
4/11
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~11d
~14d
~11d
~11d
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Discovery in space, missions 114/121
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Atlantis in space, mission STS-115
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Discovery in space, mission STS-116
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Atlantis in space, mission STS-117
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Endeavour in space, mission STS-118
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Discovery in space, mission STS-120
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Atlantis in space, mission STS-122
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Endeavour in space, mission STS-123
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Discovery in space, mission STS-124
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Atlantis in space, mission STS-125
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Endeavour in space, mission STS-126. NASA would try to still complete the STS-119 mission even if used as a rescue mission.[10]
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Atlantis in space, mission STS-125
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Endeavour in space, mission STS-133
Rescue mission for damaged or stranded shuttle Discovery in space, mission STS-134
¹ Originally scheduled to be Endeavour, changed to Discovery due to contamination issues.[11]
^ NASA (2008). "Space Shuttle Mission Archives". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/archives/2005.html. Retrieved on November 25 2008.
^ a b Encyclopedia Astronautica (2008). "Buran". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/buran.htm. Retrieved on November 25 2008.
^ a b c d e Jenkins, Dennis R. (2007). Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System. Voyageur Press. pp. 524 pages. ISBN 0963397451.
^ NASA (2005). "Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS)/Rescue Flight Resource Book" (pdf). NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/153444main_CSCS_Resource_%20Book.pdf. Retrieved on November 25 2008.
^ NASA (2005). "Flight Readiness Review BriefingTranscript" (pdf). NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/150494main_frr_brief_20060617.pdf. Retrieved on November 25 2008.
^ The Approach and Landing Test Programme encompassed 16 separate tests of Enterprise, covering taxi tests, unmanned and manned flights on the SCA and finally the free flight tests.
^ NASA HQ Press Release (2008). "NASA Sets Launch Dates for Remaining Space Shuttle Missions". SpaceRef.com. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=25890. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.
^ NASA (2008). "Consolidated Launch Manifest". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html. Retrieved on February 26 2009.
^ Bergin, Chris (2007). "NASA sets new launch date targets through to STS-124". CSCS flight numbers. NasaSpaceflight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5076. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
^ Gebhardt, Chris (2008-10-31). "Safety enhancements dominate STS-126 Flight Readiness Reviews". NASASpaceFlight. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/10/safety-enhancements-dominate-sts-126-frr/. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
^ NASA Spaceflight.com - Weather watch in STS-122 count - Endeavour removed from LON
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