Space shuttle Atlantis off to International Space Station

Space shuttle Atlantis off to International Space Station

NASA has finally managed to liftoff Space Shuttle Atlantis off Florida on its journey to the International Space Station.

This mission is to resume to the construction of the ISS, which has been delayed due to the safety problems related to the Space Shuttle fleet.

Atlantis on this mission is carrying six astronauts and would help the NASA install a $372-million solar power module on the $100-billion space station.

NASA has been trying to launch the Shuttle since August 27. However, bad weather and other technical glitches resulted in this delay.

They are aiming for another Space Shuttle launch within this year itself. They have to get the International Space Station ready before 2010 considering the Shuttle fleet would retire by that time and they will not have a craft for these missions for the next couple of years.