The spacecraft was a partly reusable launch system and orbital space vehicle operated by the U.S. National physical science and area Administration (NASA) for human spacefaring missions. The system combined rocket launch, orbital space vehicle, and re-entry spaceplane with standard add-ons. the primary of 4 orbital take a look at flights occurred in 1981 resulting in operational flights starting in 1982. it absolutely was used on a complete of a hundred thirty five missions from 1981 to 2011 all launched from the Kennedy area Center, Florida. Major missions enclosed launching various satellites, celestial body probes, the astrophysicist area Telescope (HST), conducting area science experiments, and constructing and coupling the International