STS-1

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

12:00:04

Sunday April 12, 1981

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Launch Notes

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

STS-1

Wiki

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.

Low Earth Orbit

4,909 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Space Shuttle Columbia

Active 1981 to 2003

National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo

Agency

NASA

Price

$450.00 million

Rocket

Height: 56.1m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 27,500 kg

GTO: 3,810 kg

Liftoff Thrust

30,250 Kilonewtons

Stages

2

Strap-ons

2

Launch Site

LC-39A

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

5 days 6 hours

Stats

Space Shuttle


1st

Mission

1st

Mission of 1981

1981


36th

Orbital launch attempt