Paul M. Krueger

Skylab, the United States’ first space station, is launched from a modified Saturn V rocket.

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ㅤLaunched on May 14, 1973, Skylab, the first American space station, suffered significant damage during its deployment. The loss of its micrometeoroid shield and one solar panel, along with the remaining panel’s hampered deployment due to debris, resulted in a severe power deficit for the station. Following this launch, Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center was repurposed for the Space Shuttle program, with Skylab’s crewed missions utilizing Pad 39B. Notably, Skylab 1 marked the last uncrewed launch from LC-39A until SpaceX CRS-10 in 2017.