30 SEPT 2026History
What time did Challenger break apart? 28 January 1986, 11:39 EST
Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch, at 11:39 Eastern Standard Time on 28 January 1986, which is 16:39 UTC.
Short answer: 28 January 1986 at 11:39 Eastern Standard Time, about 73 seconds after lift-off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. That is 16:39 UTC.
What happened
Challenger launched at 11:38 EST on mission STS-51-L. A seal in the right solid rocket booster failed in the cold, and the vehicle broke apart over the Atlantic. All seven crew members died: Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher selected to fly in space.
Why it is remembered
Millions watched live, many of them schoolchildren following McAuliffe's flight. The Rogers Commission later found that the O-ring problem had been known before launch.