MISSION NAME
STS-5 5
Status
Success
DATE
11 NOV 1982
LAUNCH PROVIDER
Rockwell International
Launch Pad
Launch Complex 39A
Description
STS-5 marked the first fully operational mission of the Space Shuttle program, launched by the Columbia shuttle with four crew members. Known as the first satellite deployment mission, it successfully deployed two commercial communications satellites into orbit. STS-5 not only advanced satellite deployment techniques but also demonstrated the Space Shuttle's role in supporting commercial and scientific endeavors in space.
Space Shuttle
Rocket Description
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.