# Canonical recap data for Space Shuttle Columbia Maiden Flight (1981)
# Source: https://recap.at/1981/space-shuttle-columbia
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: space-shuttle-columbia
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1981/space-shuttle-columbia"
title: Space Shuttle Columbia Maiden Flight
subtitle: Columbia's inaugural orbital flight inaugurated the reusable spacecraft era and promised affordable, routine access to space.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1981-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1981
decade: 1980
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: 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 the Space Transportation System (STS), taken from the 1969 plan led by U.
summaryLong: 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 the Space Transportation System (STS), taken from the 1969 plan led by U.S. vice president Spiro Agnew for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/STS120LaunchHiRes-edit1.jpg/1280px-STS120LaunchHiRes-edit1.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Space Shuttle"
importance: 77
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle"
  title: Space Shuttle
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: 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 Adm
wikidataQid: Q48806
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260703214643/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle"
  capturedAt: 2026-07-03
  label: Space Shuttle
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle"
