On 12 April 1981, America launched the Columbia shuttle, the first reusable space vehicle. Designed to launch or repair satellites, the shuttles have proved to be of considerable value for scientific missions. For instance, the first European Spacelab had its maiden flight aboard Columbia in 1983. The shuttles were used to operate between space stations, firstly MIR then ISS. The explosion of the Challenger in 1986 marked the end of their commercial role and the Columbia accident in 2003 brought Nasa's "shuttle only" strategy into question. The shuttles are scheduled to be fully withdrawn by 2010.