Launch of STS-1, the very first Space Shuttle mission in history. On April 12, 1981, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, marking the beginning of a new era where spacecraft could launch, orbit, and land like an airplane. This mission proved that the shuttle system — the orbiter, the boosters, and the massive external tank — could work safely together and carry astronauts to space and back. A true milestone that opened the door for more than 30 years of shuttle flights. C