Space Nerd

Orbiter

Columbia

First winged spacecraft to reach orbit

Space Shuttle Columbia landing after mission STS-62 in 1994
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (NASA)
First flight
April 12, 1981
Last flight
January 16, 2003
Missions
28

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.

Highlights

  • ·STS-1: first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle
  • ·STS-9: first Spacelab mission
  • ·Deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory on STS-93

Status

Columbia was lost with its crew during re-entry on STS-107 (February 1, 2003). The accident led to major program changes and renewed emphasis on vehicle safety.