STS-116

STS-116 (also known as ISS-12A) was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery lifted off on December 9, 2006, for her 33rd flight at 20:47:35 EST. A previous launch attempt on December 7 had been canceled due to cloud cover. It was the first night launch of a Space Shuttle since STS-113 in November 2002. The mission is also referred to as ISS-12A.1 by the ISS program. The main goals of the mission were delivery and attachment of the International Space Station's P5 truss segment, a major rewiring of the station's power system, and exchange of ISS Expedition 14 personnel. The shuttle landed at 17:32 EST on December 22, 2006, at Kennedy Space Center 98 minutes off schedule due to unfavorable weather conditions. This mission was particularly notable to Sweden, being the first spaceflight of a Scandinavian astronaut (Christer Fuglesang). The European segment of the mission was called "Celsius". STS-116 was the final scheduled Space Shuttle launch from Launch Complex 39B, as NASA began reconfiguring the pad for Ares I launches. Its only subsequent role in the Shuttle program was as a contingency launch site for STS-400, a proposed Launch On Need rescue mission for STS-125 in 2009, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing flight, in the event of severe orbiter damage. Launch Complex 39B would not support another crewed launch for nearly two decades, until Artemis II. After STS-116, Discovery entered a period of maintenance. Its next mission would be STS-120 starting on October 23, 2007.