NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia made the first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981. The mission, designated STS-1, launched on 12 April 1981 with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen aboard.
Columbia completed 36 orbits during its two-day test flight and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on 14 April. Unlike later shuttle missions, STS-1 carried no satellite or scientific payload; its purpose was to test the shuttle’s launch, orbital operations, re-entry, and runway landing.
Columbia was named after the command module used by Apollo 11 and a historic American exploration vessel. It flew 28 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on 1 February 2003. It is sometimes confused with Challenger, which became the second shuttle to fly in space in 1983.