Akademik

a reusable spacecraft with wings for a controlled descent through the Earth's atmosphere

noun, pl ⋯ shuttles [count]

: a spacecraft that can be used more than once and that carries people into outer space and back to Earth

ˈspace shuttle [space shuttle] (also shuttle) noun

a ↑spacecraft designed to be used, for example, for travelling between the earth and a space station

See also: ↑shuttle  

Space shuttles are part of the US Space Transportation System (STS), and the flights began in 1981. The first four were ↑Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis. When Challenger exploded in 1986 killing all seven of its crew, all flights were stopped for more than two years. ↑Endeavor replaced Challenger in 1992. In 2003 Columbia exploded while re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and again all flights were stopped. In 2004 the US announced that it will replace the space shuttle with a new type of vehicle by 2010.