The orbiter fleet

First winged spacecraft to reach orbit

OV-102 led the fleet as the orbiter that inaugurated the Space Shuttle era with STS-1. Over more than two decades it supported science missions—including Spacelab and the deployment of Chandra—and helped prove reusable human spaceflight at scale.

April 12, 1981 — January 16, 2003

Workhorse of the expanding shuttle manifest

OV-099 flew the first spacewalk of the program, carried the first American woman and first African American astronauts to space, and supported satellite deployments and science flights during a busy early period of shuttle operations.

April 4, 1983 — January 28, 1986

The orbiter that returned NASA to flight—twice

OV-103 flew more missions than any other orbiter. It launched Hubble, visited Mir and the ISS, and carried both “return to flight” crews after Challenger and Columbia—earning a reputation as NASA’s dependable flagship.

August 30, 1984 — March 9, 2011

Heavy lifter of station assembly

OV-104 became closely associated with International Space Station assembly and logistics, including launching the Destiny laboratory and helping close the shuttle era with the program’s last mission.

October 3, 1985 — July 21, 2011

Built from spares to strengthen the fleet

OV-105 replaced Challenger using structural spare components. It supported ISS construction, carried the first Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to station, and completed ambitious servicing and assembly flights.

May 7, 1992 — June 1, 2011