On July 21, 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, marking the final flight of the Space Shuttle program. The mission, designated STS‑135, launched on July 8 and returned the crew of four to Earth after twelve days in orbit.

The decision to fly STS‑135 as the program’s last mission followed a review by lawmakers and NASA officials, who chose to forgo a dedicated Launch On Need flight that had been reserved for contingency rescue scenarios after the Columbia disaster. The crew was commanded by Christopher Ferguson, piloted by Douglas Hurley, and included mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim.

After the shuttle’s retirement, the United States relied on Russian Soyuz capsules for crew transport to the International Space Station. NASA later awarded Commercial Crew contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to resume launches from U.S. soil. SpaceX completed its first crewed mission to the station in 2020, while Boeing’s Starliner program encountered multiple test failures, leading to an uncrewed return and a crewed flight now scheduled for 2025.

SpaceX has indicated that each Crew Dragon capsule is designed for up to fifteen flights with refurbishment, and the company plans to develop Starship as a long‑term successor. The retired orbiters are currently displayed at Kennedy Space Center and the California Science Center, while the disposition of Discovery remains under discussion among lawmakers.

The program’s conclusion has left NASA with a prolonged reliance on commercial providers and an uncertain timeline for U.S. crewed access to the ISS.