STS-32 was the 33rd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the ninth launch of . Launched on January 9, 1990, it marked the first use of Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A since 1986; it also marked the first use of Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP-3) in the Space Shuttle program. STS-32 was, at the time, the longest shuttle mission yet conducted, with a duration of nearly 11 days. Before STS-32, the only mission of the same duration had been STS-9 in 1983. On January 20, 1990, STS-32 executed the third night landing of the shuttle program. STS-32 was also the first Shuttle mission of the 1990s.
The mission was technically designated STS-32R, as the original STS-32 designator had been used internally for STS-61-C, the 24th Space Shuttle mission. Official documentation and flight paperwork for that mission had contained the designator STS-32 throughout. Flights with the STS-26 through STS-33 designators used the R in their documentation to avoid conflicts in tracking data from one mission to another.
Crew
Crew seat assignments
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| 150px<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Brandenstein
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Wetherbee
|-
! 3
| Dunbar
| Low
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Ivins
|-
! 5
| Low
| Dunbar
|-
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused
|-
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused
|}
Launch preparations
STS-32 marked the inaugural launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A following an extensive refurbishment. The pad, which had been inactive since the STS-61-C mission in 1986, underwent significant modifications to enhance safety and operational efficiency. These improvements encompassed upgrades to the crew emergency egress system and shuttle payload bay, increasing anti-freeze protection for water systems, as well as the integration of debris traps for propellant loading and enhanced weather protection measures. A new umbilical system was also installed to provide power, instrumentation, and control for the solid rocket booster field joint heaters.
Concurrently, Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP-3), a legacy structure from the Apollo program, was substantially retrofitted for shuttle operations. This process involved removing the umbilical tower, reconfiguring exhaust vents, and modernizing electrical and mechanical ground support systems.
Mission summary
thumb|The launch of STS-32 from LC-39A
thumb|The Syncom IV-F5 satellite is deployed.
thumb|, returning to [[Kennedy Space Center (KSC) after the successful STS-32 mission, flies past the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, secured atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.]]