Space shuttle era

Between the first launch on April 12, 1981, and the final landing on July 21, 2011, NASA's space shuttle fleet -- Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions, helped construct the International Space Station and inspired generations. NASA's space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As humanity's first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle pushed the bounds of discovery ever farther, requiring not only advanced technologies but the tremendous effort of a vast workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors throughout NASA's field centers and across the nation have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success and the greater goal of space exploration.

On April 12, 2011, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the facilities where four shuttle orbiters will be displayed permanently at the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program.

With 2020 behind us, NASA is gearing up for a busy year in 2021, looking forward to more exploration firsts. The agency is working toward sending the first woman and next man to the Moon in 2024 and and will establish sustainable lunar exploration by the end of the decade as part of the Artemis program, while getting ready for human exploration of Mars.

Artist concept of Human Landing System and astronauts on the surface of the Moon.

Credits: NASA

“By putting the health and safety of the NASA team first, we’ve been able to safely navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and keep our missions moving forward as much as possible,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “We will hit several key milestones for Artemis this year, including conducting a major test of our Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Last year we grabbed an asteroid sample and launched an ocean studying satellite. These stunning NASA achievements were made possible thanks to strong commitments from the president and Congress to fund and support NASA budgets and will usher in a new era of exploration for America’s space agency.”

In 2020, NASA Persevered

On Nov. 15, 2020, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission launched from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station, following certification of the system by NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission is the first in a series of regular, rotational flights with astronauts to the orbital laboratory, which marked 20 years of continuous human presence aboard the station Nov. 2. Flying four crew members on Crew-1 expands the station’s crew to seven, effectively doubling the amount of time for crew members to support research investigations that advance scientific knowledge and prepare for human exploration farther into space.

On Oct. 20, America’s first asteroid sample return mission, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, "tagged" the asteroid Bennu to collect a small sample to return to Earth.

NASA also continued to make significant progress toward the first uncrewed flight test of SLS and the Orion spacecraft and plans to conduct a hot-fire test early in 2021. This critical milestone, known as the Green Run, includes firing up the rocket’s massive core stage and four RS-25 engines in a test stand. Stacking operations began with the solid rocket boosters on the mobile launcher in the late fall and will continue when the core stage arrives. Engineers were putting finishing touches on Orion so it will be ready for stacking, making us one step closer to sending astronauts to walk on the Moon.

Finally, on Nov. 21 the agency launched the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which will collect the most accurate data yet on sea levels.