First reusable spacecraft

The Space Shuttle, developed by NASA, was the first ever reusable spacecraft, with Columbia making its maiden flight on 12 April 1981. Over a series of 135 missions, running up to 2011, the five Space Shuttles carried out many different roles, including satellite launches and recovery, astronaut transit and supply carrier. They were also instrumental in the 10-year project to build the largest artificial satellite, the International Space Station.