From Columbia to Discovery: The five largest NASA space shuttles in history

The Space Shuttle programme, developed by NASA, introduced the world’s first reusable spacecraft. Operating from 1981 to 2011, the shuttles carried out 135 missions, completing over 21,000 orbits and covering more than 542 million miles. The fleet was used to transport satellites, conduct research, support space station assembly, and enable spacewalks.

Evolution of the Space Shuttle Fleet

NASA built five operational orbiters: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Each measured 37.2 metres in length, had a wingspan of 23.8 metres, and launch mass ranging between 104 and 109 tonnes. A sixth shuttle, Enterprise, was used only for test flights and did not go into orbit. The Soviet-built Buran orbiter, measuring 36.4 metres long and weighing 105 tonnes, flew a single automated mission in 1988 and remains one of the largest spacecraft constructed outside the United States.

Columbia, launched in April 1981, was NASA’s first operational orbiter. It was also the heaviest, weighing 109 tonnes due to early design elements and limited ISS compatibility. It deployed key payloads like the Chandra X-ray Observatory. It was tragically lost in 2003 during re-entry after sustaining wing damage from launch debris. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla was among those lost in the Columbia disaster.

Challenger entered service in 1983 and conducted several pioneering missions, including the deployment of the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. It also hosted the first spacewalk by a US woman. On January 28, 1986, Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, following a booster failure. All seven crew members were lost.

Discovery, arriving in 1983, became NASA’s most flown orbiter with 39 missions. It deployed the Hubble Space Telescope and played a vital role in ISS construction. Lighter than Columbia, Discovery incorporated improved thermal protection and structure refinements. It retired in 2011 after completing the final shuttle flight to the ISS.

Atlantis, which joined the fleet in 1985, completed 33 missions and was instrumental in both ISS assembly and the Shuttle-Mir programme, becoming the first shuttle to dock with a Russian space station. Its construction was completed faster and with fewer resources than Columbia.

Endeavour, commissioned in 1991 to replace Challenger, carried out 25 missions. Its notable flights included satellite repairs and spacewalks, including a record-setting eight-hour EVA. It also introduced new technical features, such as the use of a drag chute on landing.

The Buran orbiter, developed by the Soviet Union, was similar in design and size to the American shuttle. It completed its only mission without a crew in 1988, operating entirely on automated systems. Though the programme was cancelled, Buran demonstrated comparable capabilities in terms of payload and flight systems, adding to the global legacy of reusable spacecraft.

NASA's Space Shuttle programme officially ended in 2011, after 30 years of service. The final mission, STS-135, was flown by Atlantis and concluded on 21 July 2011. Since then, the shuttle fleet—Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour—has been retired.