These shuttle missions for space based research lasted until 2004 when the unthinkable happened. During a launch on the 25th of January, the boosters and fuel tank separated from the shuttle roughly 6km up from the pad. With the shuttle losing it's primary fuel source for the launch, the mission commander attempted to take control and guide the shuttle down to a nearby airport for an emergency landing.
This did not go as planned as the shuttle came in too fast for a landing, skid right off fo the runway on the far end, broke through the fence at the far end of the property and slammed right through rush hour traffic on one of the main highway systems within the Empire, finally coming to a stop after crashing through 2 dozen houses on the other side of the road. Overall, the entire flight crew of 5 as well as more than 200 people on the ground were dead, with another 400 injured.
The shuttle system was scrapped after this incident and the Imperial Government suspended all operations of SISA for an indefinite amount of time until a proper investigation was completed. It wasn't until three years later, in 2007, when the report came out and showed that a faulty part purchased from a foreign corporation caused the booster/tank ejection system to prematurely fire. From that point on, SISA was ordered to only purchase parts and equipment from Shazbotdom owned businesses.
