On July 26, 1972, Rockwell International won a $2.6 billion contract to build the space shuttle orbiter, designated OV-101 (orbiter vehicle 101). The third shuttle, the Discovery (OV 103), had arrived at Kennedy Space Center in November 1983. On its first mission on Aug. 30, 1984, it deployed three communications satellites. After modifications, it flew the first space shuttle mission of the post-Challenger era on Sept. 29, 1988.