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Background Information
- First Launch:
- April 1981
- Flight Rate:
- Eight per year (nine per year demonstrated)
- Launch Site:
- LF-39 A/B (Kennedy Space Center, USA)
- Capability:
- 53,500 lb to LEO; 13,000 lb to GTO (with IUS)
History
-
Feasibility and engineering studies began in 1970
- First free flight in 1977 (Enterprise)
- First development flight in April 1981 (Columbia)
- First operational flight in November 1982 (Columbia)
Description
-
Two-stage vehicle
- Carries two to seven crew members (eight person crew flew once)
- Four Rockwell-built orbiters
- Three Rocketdyne SSMEs burn LH2/LO2, generating 375,000 lb of thrust each
- Two Thiokol solid rocket boosters (SRBs), generating 2,600,000 lb of thrust each
- Lockheed Martin external tank (ET) contains propellants for SSMEs
Profile
-
Lengths:
- Orbiter - 122.2 ft
- Launch Weight:
- 4,500,000 lb
- ET - 154 ft
- Liftoff Thrust:
- 6,325,000 lb
- SRB - 149 ft
- Diameters:
- ET - 27.5 ft
- Payload Bay:
- 60 ft x 15 ft
- SRB - 12 ft
- Wingspan:
- 78.1 ft
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