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United Space AllianceSpace ShuttleLaunch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
STS-135
Launched
July 8, 2011 · 15:29 UTC
Summary
STS-135 launched on an United Space Alliance Space Shuttle from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on July 8, 2011 at 15:29 UTC. It was United Space Alliance's 51st launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 5,138th orbital launch attempt. It was the 135th Space Shuttle flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Atlantis (STS-135), one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 163 × 238 km orbit inclined 51.6°. 4 crew members flew: Douglas G. Hurley, Christopher Ferguson, Sandra Magnus and Rex J. Walheim. The spacecraft was Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104). 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.
- Watch
- Vehicle
- Space Shuttle · United Space AllianceInternational Space Station, Space Shuttle
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Human Exploration · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 135th Space Shuttle flight · 3rd this yearUnited Space Alliance's 51st launch3rd this yearhumanity's 5,138th orbital launch attempt32nd orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Douglas G. HurleyPilot · NASA · age 44 · 2nd flight
Christopher FergusonCommander · BA · age 49 · 3rd flight
Sandra MagnusMission Specialist · NASA · age 46 · 3rd flight
Rex J. WalheimMission Specialist · NASA · age 48 · 3rd flight
Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV‑104) is a Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985, Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011. STS-134 by Endeavour was expected to be the final flight before STS-135 was authorized in October 2010. STS-135 took advantage of the processing for the STS-335 Launch On Need mission that would have been necessary if STS-134's crew became stranded in orbit. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on 21 July 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km) or more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
- Destination: International Space Station
- Mission length: 12 days
- Docked July 10, 2011 at Harmony forward
Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility after this mission.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Atlantis (STS-135) · NORAD 37736 · 2011-031 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2011-031A
- Epoch
- 2011-07-08 16:30:00 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.29818665 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0057164
- Inclination
- 51.6369°
- Ascending node
- 53.0024°
- Arg. of perigee
- 342.4926°
- Mean anomaly
- 282.6633°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.0000072652
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 2 payloads
- Atlantis (STS-135) · NORAD 37736 · docked July 10, 2011
- PSSC-2 · NORAD 37752 · re-entered December 8, 2011
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
STS-135 delivered supplies and equipment to provision the space station through 2012, and is the final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. Payload included the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello and the Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC)
Pad
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
96th launch from Launch Complex 39A, 3rd this year · 153rd from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Jul 8, 11:29 AM EDT, in daylight
224 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
53 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STS-135 launch?
STS-135 launched on July 8, 2011 at 15:29 UTC.
Where can I watch STS-135?
Coverage: Exiting Countdown & T-31 hold - Launch Last Space Shuttle STS-135. Watch the replay
What rocket launched STS-135?
Space Shuttle, flown by United Space Alliance. Space Shuttle spec sheet
Where did STS-135 launch from?
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA. Liftoff was Jul 8, 11:29 AM EDT local time at the pad.
What orbit did STS-135 reach?
Atlantis (STS-135), one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 163 × 238 km orbit inclined 51.6°.
How many satellites did STS-135 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is STS-135 part of?
International Space Station and Space Shuttle. About International Space Station