The US space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a construction mission to the International Space Station yesterday, ending a three-month grounding to repair the ship's hail-battered fuel tank.
The launch bolstered NASA's hopes of finishing work on the slightly more than half-built $100 billion orbital research outpost before the aging shuttles are retired in three years.
Bathed in golden light from the setting sun, Atlantis and its seven-man crew lifted off at 7.38pm (local time) from a newly refurbished launch pad at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
The pad had not been used since the ill-fated Columbia launch 4 years ago. Riding atop a pillar of smoke and flame, the shuttle soared through clear skies, arcing out over the Atlantic Ocean and heading for an initial perch 137 miles (220 km) above the planet.
Docking with the space station is planned for shortly after 3.30am (US time) 220 miles (354 km) above the southern Indian Ocean. The shuttle is carrying the heaviest payload ever flown to the space station - a 14 metre long, 16,183 kg aluminum structure that will become part of the station's structural backbone.
It includes a pair of solar wings that will generate additional electricity needed as the station is expanded in the years ahead.