The final piece of the Space Shuttle era has arrived

Space · Published 21 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: After a 900-mile journey by water, the very last external fuel tank produced for the Space Shuttle program has reached Florida. This massive, bronze-colored structure marks the beginning of the end for a legendary era of human spaceflight.

The external fuel tank, designated ET-1മുണ്ട, arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following a voyage from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Transported via the barge Pegasus, the tank traveled 900 miles before being moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building. This specific tank is the final external fuel tank ever produced for the program. The tank was towed off its transport barge and moved into the assembly building on July 14.

Measuring approximately 154 feet long and 28 feet wide, the tank is a massive structure that weighs nearly 60,000 pounds when empty. Its role is critical yet singular: it holds the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen required to power the shuttle's engines during the initial ascent. Unlike the twin solid rocket boosters that flank the orbiter, the external tank is not designed for reuse; it is jettisoned and falls back to Earth after the initial push to the sky. The tank's massive scale is roughly equivalent to a 15-story building. Once the ascent is complete, the tank is released to fall back toward Earth.

The arrival of ET-138 prepares the shuttle Endeavour for its STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, a flight targeted for February 26, 2011. This mission is scheduled to be the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program. While the mission also involves delivering an astrophysics experiment to study cosmic rays, the presence of this final tank signals the closing chapter of a decade-spanning era of orbital logistics. Beyond the astrophysics experiment, the crew will also deposit various spare parts for the orbiting outpost. This mission represents one of only two remaining flights on the program's docket.

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