participation shifted to the International Space Station in 1993. A permanent station was planned starting in 1988, but its funding was canceled and U.S. Unable to be re-boosted by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready until 1981, Skylab's orbit eventually decayed, and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.Īs of 2023, Skylab was the only space station operated exclusively by the United States. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974.