The last Space Shuttle returned to Earth 15 years ago
LON missions had been a feature of the Space Shuttle program following the Columbia disaster. REG AD googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('labrador/thereg/article/desktop/b'); }); If a Space Shuttle was damaged, another could be launched at short notice to rescue the crew. NASA assigned Launch On Need flights separate STS-3xx designations, so the rescue mission for STS-116 was STS-317, STS-117 was STS-318, and so on.
- ▪LON missions had been a feature of the Space Shuttle program following the Columbia disaster.
- ▪REG AD googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('labrador/thereg/article/desktop/b'); }); If a Space Shuttle was damaged, another could be launched at short notice to rescue the crew.
- ▪NASA assigned Launch On Need flights separate STS-3xx designations, so the rescue mission for STS-116 was STS-317, STS-117 was STS-318, and so on.
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(function() { let windowUrl = window.location.href; windowUrl = windowUrl.substring(windowUrl.indexOf('?') + 1); let messageElement = document.querySelector('.shareableMessage'); if (windowUrl && windowUrl.includes('code') && windowUrl.includes('expires')) { messageElement.style.display = 'block'; } })(); SCIENCE The last Space Shuttle returned to Earth 15 years ago So, how are those commercial replacements working out for you, NASA? Richard Speed Richard Speed MICROSOFT ECOSYSTEM REPORTER Published sun 26 Jul 2026 // 09:30 UTC This week marks 15 years since a Space Shuttle last returned from orbit and the end of NASA's Space Shuttle program.Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at Kennedy Space Center 15 years ago this week, marking the final mission for the…
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