Crewed spacecraftExpended
STS-46 flight stack
Mission-specific Space Shuttle flight stack
Vehicle and mission dossier
STS-46
STS-46 deployed ESA's European Retrievable Carrier for a long-duration free flight and attempted the first Tethered Satellite System deployment. A mechanical problem limited the Italian satellite to a fraction of its planned tether length, but the mission returned valuable data on tether dynamics and orbital plasma while EURECA began an independent microgravity and astronomy program.
Flight profile
- Launch
- July 31, 1992
- Landing
- August 8, 1992
- Mission duration
- 7d 23h 15m
Places and recovery
Vehicle record
- Orbiter
- Space Shuttle Atlantis
- Mission or test
- STS-46
- Configuration
- , external tank, two , and three main engines
- Status
- Mission hardware disposition recorded by component
- Mission type
- Satellite or observatory deployment and operations
- Crew and station travelers
- 7
- Program
- Space Shuttle
- Crew complement
- 7
- Outcome
- Completed
- Archive classification
- Human spaceflight
- Primary objective
- Space Shuttle Atlantis mission that deployed EURECA and tested the Tethered Satellite System.
Flight objectives
- Launch Atlantis and its crew safely into .
- Space Shuttle Atlantis mission that deployed EURECA and tested the Tethered Satellite System.
- Complete the mission's assigned payload, , research, deployment, servicing, or logistics work.
- Return Atlantis and the landing crew safely to Earth.
Flight timeline
- July 31, 1992LaunchAtlantis began a two-payload international technology mission.
- August 2, 1992EURECA deployedCanadarm released the European platform for a long-duration free flight.
- August 4, 1992Tether testThe satellite extended only about 260 meters before a mechanical obstruction halted deployment.
- August 8, 1992LandingAtlantis returned the tether hardware and experiment data to Kennedy.
