STS-133
Leonardo Becomes Permanent on Discovery's Final Flight
STS-133 carried the Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo, supplies, Robonaut 2, and an external logistics carrier to the ISS on Space Shuttle Discovery's final mission.
Mission type
Crewed Space Shuttle logistics mission
Launch
February 24, 2011
Mission end / docking
March 9, 2011
Launch vehicle / spacecraft
Space Shuttle Discovery
Objective
What this ISS mission set out to accomplish
Convert a previously reusable logistics module into permanent station volume, deliver external spare-equipment storage, and resupply the ISS during Discovery's final flight.
This record treats STS-133 as an assembly or station-support mission rather than as a satellite engineering page, keeping the mission objective separate from the hardware-level ISS engineering record.
Flight and rendezvous
How the mission reached and worked at the station
STS-133 launched on February 24, 2011 using Space Shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Center, Launch Pad 39A.
Leonardo had been modified from a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module into a permanent module. Station robotics removed it from Discovery and attached it to Unity while crews transferred equipment and completed external work.
Hardware and assembly
What was delivered, installed, or reconfigured
Primary hardware or assembly focus: Permanent Multipurpose Module Leonardo, ELC-4, Robonaut 2, supplies.
Installation record: Leonardo installed permanently on the station during STS-133. This is the engineering connection between the mission story and the interactive International Space Station breakdown.
Outcome
What changed on the International Space Station
Leonardo became permanent pressurized storage and research-support volume. STS-133 also closed Space Shuttle Discovery's flight career after decades of service.
The documented result makes STS-133 part of the larger ISS assembly chain, where individual missions progressively added structure, power, laboratories, robotics, thermal control, logistics, and crew-support systems.
Continue exploring
Follow the connected story
Open the International Space Station engineering page
See the station modules, truss systems, solar arrays, robotics, and launch/install history in the interactive engineering experience.
Browse launch records
Compare this mission with other launches and ISS assembly flights.
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Explore other TransitSatellite mission stories.