The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons. Major missions included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes,[1] conducting space science experiments, and the servicing and construction of space stations. A major international contribution was the Spacelab payload suite, from the ESA.[/font]

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