U.S. Space Shuttle (Space Transport System)
Payloads
The Space Shuttle was the most versatile spacecraft ever built. The orbiter could carry small payloads in the pressurised crew cabin and large payloads in the un-pressurised payload bay.
Shuttles was used as orbital platforms for observation and research of the Earth, Sun and stars. Some research payloads remained in the orbiter while others were deployed to fly free, to be retrieved later and returned to Earth.
Satellites and spacecraft were also deployed into Low Earth Orbit and used their own engines to fly to a higher orbit or on to Solar System exploration missions.
The shuttles were also used to deliver cargo and components to the Russian space station Mir and the International Space Station. They usually also assisted in the installation and testing of these components.
Shuttles and their crews were also used to support building activities, operation and maintenance of these space stations.
It is beyond the scope of this article to cover all the payloads carried by the shuttles. This article therefore only covers the primary payloads, arranged into six categories listed below.
Shuttle payloads have been sorted into the categories below. Select a category to go to a separate page giving more details.
► Astronomy - Deep space astronomy from the shuttle and free flying platforms.
► Facilities - Pressurised modules and un-pressurised carriers used, returned to Earth and re-used.
► Satellite Deployment - Long duration satellites were launched into orbit using the shuttle as a first stage.
► Solar System Research - Experiments dedicated to our Earth, sun, and solar system.
► Space Environment Research - Used the environment of the orbiting spacecraft for microgravity and space exposure research.
► Space Station Support - Cargo and components delivered to the Russian space station Mir and the International Space Station.
The first four flights of the shuttle were used mainly to test the operation and systems for launch and orbital flight. A number of instrument packages were carried in the shuttle orbiters payload bay to assist with these tests.
Following the loss of shuttle Columbia in 2003 extra testing was carried on every flight to check for damage during launch.
The main shuttle testing instrument packages are listed in the table to the right. ►
More information is given in the Orbiter Technical Page 🔗 of this article.
| Acronym | Name | STS No. | Year |
| DFI | Development Flight Instrumentation Package | 1, 2, 3 | 1981-82 |
| ACIP | Aerodynamic Coefficient Identifications Package pallet | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1981-82 |
| SRMS | Shuttle Remote Manipulator System | 2, 3 | 1981-92 |
| IECM | Induced Environment Contamination Monitor | 2, 4 | 1981, 1982 |
| PFTA | Payload Flight Test Article | 8 | 1983 |
| OBSS | Orbiter Boom Sensor System | 114 on | 2005-2011 |