The Spacelab Module allowed for conducting experiments in a "shirt-sleeve" environment while on-orbit. The pallet system allowed for experiments that needed to be exposed to the space environment, while the IPS allowed for pointing and stabilization for astronomy experiments. Over the course of the Spacelab Program, there were 24 Space Shuttle misions that were dedicated science missions using Spacelab, and many other missions which utilized Spacelab hardware components.

Over the 17 years of the Spacelab Program, about 800 scientific investigations were completed. The Program taught scientists and engineers how to conduct scientific investigations in space, and paved the way for the International Space Station (ISS).