Space Launch Now

Events Starship

Search launches, rockets, people/

[data-page-skeleton]{display:none}body{display:flex;flex-direction:column}body>footer{order:2}body>main{padding-bottom:0}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) header[data-site-header]{background:var(--canvas);border-color:var(--rule);color:var(--ink)}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) [data-header-scrim]{display:none}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]{max-width:calc(var(--container-content) + 2 * var(--s-5));padding:var(--s-9) var(--s-5) 0}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:var(--s-9)}body:has(>div[id^="S:"] [data-app-promo])>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:0}@layer base{body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]{display:block!important;order:1}}

Upcoming Launches

All upcoming launches

Loading launches

Loading

Space Launch Now

Launch schedules, countdowns and spaceflight data, powered by Launch Library 2 from The Space Devs.

Launches

Upcoming
Previous
SpaceX
Blue Origin
Florida
Vandenberg

Explore

Starship
Events
Vehicles
Astronauts
Launch Sites
Programs
Launch Providers
See a Launch

Space Launch Now

Get the App
About
The Space Devs
Privacy
Terms

© 2026 Space Launch NowData: Launch Library 2 and Spaceflight News API by The Space Devs

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

[data-page-skeleton]{display:none}body{display:flex;flex-direction:column}body>footer{order:2}body>main{padding-bottom:0}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) header[data-site-header]{background:var(--canvas);border-color:var(--rule);color:var(--ink)}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) [data-header-scrim]{display:none}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]{max-width:calc(var(--container-content) + 2 * var(--s-5));padding:var(--s-9) var(--s-5) 0}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:var(--s-9)}body:has(>div[id^="S:"] [data-app-promo])>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:0}@layer base{body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]{display:block!important;order:1}}

Loading the list

[data-page-skeleton]{display:none}body{display:flex;flex-direction:column}body>footer{order:2}body>main{padding-bottom:0}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) header[data-site-header]{background:var(--canvas);border-color:var(--rule);color:var(--ink)}body:has(>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]) [data-header-scrim]{display:none}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]>[data-data-unavailable]{max-width:calc(var(--container-content) + 2 * var(--s-5));padding:var(--s-9) var(--s-5) 0}body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:var(--s-9)}body:has(>div[id^="S:"] [data-app-promo])>div[hidden][id^="S:"]:last-of-type{padding-bottom:0}@layer base{body>div[hidden][id^="S:"]{display:block!important;order:1}}

Loading the details

Astronauts
Michael J. Smith

Lost In Flight· NASA · American

Michael J. Smith

Michael John Smith was an American astronaut—pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission. All seven crew members...

Spaceflights

1

first flight

Time in space

0days

Spacewalks

0

Flights

Failure· Flight 1

STS-51-L

Launched: Jan 28, 1986 · 16:38 UTC
Rocket: Space Shuttle
From: Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Landed: Jan 28, 1986

Crewmates

Dick ScobeeNASA
Christa McAuliffeNASA
Gregory JarvisHAC
Ellison OnizukaNASA
Judith ResnikNASA
Ronald McNairNASA

Advertisement

Advertisement

Biography

Michael John Smith was an American astronaut—pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed during the STS-51-L mission. All seven crew members died.

Facts

Agency: NASA
Status: Lost In Flight
Nationality: American
Born: April 30, 1945
Died: January 28, 1986
First flight: Jan 28, 1986

Advertisement

Space Launch Now for iOS and Android

Follow Michael J. Smith in the App.

Notifications before the launches and spacewalks you follow, plus every launch.

Get it on Google Play

See what's in the app

Scan to open on your phone