The first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station was STS-88.
Space Shuttle Endeavour launched STS-88 on December 4, 1998, beginning the shuttle’s role in assembling the ISS. The mission carried Unity, the station’s first U.S.-built connecting node, and joined it in orbit with Zarya, which had been launched by a Russian Proton rocket two weeks earlier.
During the 12-day mission, astronauts captured Zarya with Endeavour’s robotic arm and connected it to Unity. Jerry Ross and James Newman performed three spacewalks to attach cables, handrails, and other equipment. Their work established the initial framework for the multinational station and enabled later modules to be added.
STS-96 is a frequent source of confusion: it was the second shuttle mission to the ISS and the first shuttle mission to dock with the completed station structure. STS-71, meanwhile, was the first shuttle mission to dock with Russia’s Mir space station, not the ISS.