Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis at the start of Mission STS-46. Atlantis was launched on this, its 12th flight, on 31 July 1992. The crew deployed the first European Retrievable Carrier (Eureca-1) microgravity platform into low orbit. Also in the cargo bay was the first Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1). This was to be reeled out to a distance of 20 kilometres above the Shuttle to conduct experiments on electricity generation. Unfortunately, a fault in the tether reeling system prevented the satellite from going further than 256 metres. Atlantis landed on 8 August 1992 to complete the mission.