STS-2

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

15:09:59

Thursday November 12, 1981

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Launch Notes

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.

STS-2

Wiki

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.

Low Earth Orbit

8,517 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


2nd

Mission

2nd

Mission of 1981

1981


113th

Orbital launch attempt