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Launch detail

Space Shuttle Challenger / OV-099 | STS-7

Name: Space Shuttle Challenger / OV-099 | STS-7
Start: 1983-06-18T11:33:00.000Z
End: 1983-06-18T11:33:00.000Z
Location: Launch Complex 39A

Rockwell International • Space Shuttle • Launch Complex 39A (FL)

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SuccessROUTINE

STS-7

Rockwell International • Space Shuttle • LC-39A

T- countdown

STS-7 was the second mission for the Space Shuttle Challenger. It deployed several satellites into orbit. It was the first mission scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center however it had to divert to Edwards Air Force Base due to bad weather. STS-7 carried Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut.

Rocket profile

Space Shuttle

License: Unknown•Single-use

Length: 56.1 m

Diameter: 8 m

Reusable: Yes

Manufacturer

Weather

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Vehicle details

Stages & recovery

Launch-stage and landing context surfaced from LL2 when it exists.

Presence based

Spacecraft stage

Space Shuttle Challenger

Spaceplane

Low Earth Orbit

Space Shuttle Challenger (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was the second orbiter of NASA's space shuttle program to be put into service, after Columbia. Challenger was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division, in Downey, California. Its maiden flight, STS-6, began on April 4, 1983. The orbiter was launched and landed nine times before breaking apart 73 seconds into its tenth mission, STS-51-L, on January 28, 1986, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, including a civilian school teacher. It was the first of two shuttles to be destroyed in flight, the other being Columbia, in 2003. The accident led to a two-and-a-half-year grounding of the shuttle fleet; flights resumed in 1988, with STS-26 flown by Discovery. Challenger was replaced by Endeavour, which was built from structural spares ordered by NASA in the construction contracts for Discovery and Atlantis.

Successful landing • @ Edwards Air Force Base

LL2 spacecraft flight

Recovery

Spacecraft recovery

Horizontal Landing • Edwards Air Force Base

Successful landing • LL2

LL2

Type: Horizontal Landing

Location: Edwards Air Force Base • Edwards Air Force Base

Coords: 34.906, -117.884

Space Shuttle Challenger successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base after this mission.

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Launch info

Provider

Rockwell International

Vehicle

Space Shuttle

Pad

Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A)

State

NET

1983-06-18T11:33:00+00:00

Window start

1983-06-18T11:33:00+00:00

Window end

1983-06-18T11:33:00+00:00

Orbit

Low Earth Orbit

Mission type

Communications

Launch site

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Reusable

Yes

LEO capacity (kg)

27500

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Launch Complex 39A

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Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA • FL28.60823, -80.60428Provider map

STS-7

Rocket

Space Shuttle

Manufacturer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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.

Maiden flight

1981-04-12

Launch mass (t)

2030

Launch cost

450000000

Vehicle wiki

Links & sources

Watch coverageLive/Replay Pad satellite mapSatellite Rocket wikiReference STS-7 - WikipediaInfo Space Shuttle Challenger - STS-7 Launch ReplaysRecap Space Shuttle Challenger - STS-7 LaunchRecap

Service provider

Rockwell International

Provider news

Commercial • USA

Programs

Space Shuttle
Human Spaceflight
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011.
Program info Program wiki

Crew

Robert Crippen
Commander
Frederick "Rick" Hauck
Pilot
John M. Fabian
Mission Specialist
Sally Ride
Mission Specialist
Norman E. Thagard
Mission Specialist

Payload manifest

1 item

Space Shuttle Challenger

Spaceplane→ Low Earth OrbitSpacecraft

Deployment: Unknown

Successful landing (Edwards Air Force Base)

Deployment notes: No explicit SATCAT deployment evidence is currently available.

LL2 spacecraft flight

Image credit: NASA (NASA Image and Media Guidelines) License

Objects from this launch

6 objects

SATCAT inventory for 1983-059

Last checked: 2026-03-18T00:11:00.516+00:00

Last success: 2026-03-18T00:11:00.516+00:00

Last non-empty: 2026-03-18T00:11:00.516+00:00

Latest snapshot: 2026-03-18T00:11:00.516+00:00

Snapshot hash: a404c19b30bb797bdb5ee9f89afa48dbbc948f23a25710ef0fcfa65f17f28a63

LL2 payloads: 0SATCAT payloads: 4Delta: +4RB: 2DEB: 0UNK: 0

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SATCAT payload objects

STS 7
1983-059ANORAD 14132PAYUnited States (US)Ops: D
Technical details
Orbit type: LANOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 90.36 min
Inc: 28.5°
289 km → 295 km
NAHUEL I2 (ANIK C2)
1983-059BNORAD 14133PAYArgentina (ARGN)Ops: -
Technical details
Orbit type: ORBOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 1452.72 minRCS: 2.187 m²
Inc: 13.0°
35962 km → 36261 km
PALAPA B1
1983-059CNORAD 14134PAYINDOOps: -
Technical details
Orbit type: ORBOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 1437.69 minRCS: 1.259 m²
Inc: 11.7°
35809 km → 35827 km
SPAS 1
1983-059FNORAD 14142PAYGermany (GER)Ops: D
Technical details
Orbit type: IMPOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 90.39 min
Inc: 28.5°
291 km → 296 km

SATCAT non-payload objects

ANIK C2 R/B [PAM-D]
1983-059DNORAD 14135RBUnited States (US)
Technical details
Orbit type: ORBOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 530.79 minRCS: 2.635 m²
Inc: 23.0°
338 km → 30338 km
PALAPA B1 R/B [PAM-D]
1983-059ENORAD 14136RBUnited States (US)
Technical details
Orbit type: ORBOrbit center: EALaunch site: AFETRPeriod: 531.26 minRCS: 2.644 m²
Inc: 25.6°
334 km → 30367 km

Change log

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Summary

Details

Update 1

NET updated

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Update 2

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Update 3

Window refined

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Launch story

Mission stats

Provider, rocket, pad, and booster history tied to this launch.

2026 snapshot

Provider legacy

Rockwell International

Lifetime launches

2 in 2026

Rockwell International has 6 launches on record, with 2 in 2026.

Rocket track record

Space Shuttle

133

Successful missions

0 in 2026

Space Shuttle has 133 successful missions on record, with 0 in 2026.

Pad history

Launch Complex 39A

Pad launches

2 in 2026

Launch Complex 39A has 19 launches from this pad on record, with 2 in 2026.

Rocket reliability

99% all time

2026: no completed missions yet

Pad turnaround

74d 17h

Reported pad reuse cadence.

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