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U.S. space shuttle Endeavour lifts off on first mission in 5 years |
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08:11, August 09, 2007 |
U.S. space shuttle Endeavour lifted off at 6:36 p.m. EDT (2236 GMT) on Wednesday, heading for the International Space Station on its first mission in nearly five years, NASA TV reported.
The weather around the launch pad 39 A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is fairly favorable for Endeavor''s long-waited flight, according to NASA TV.
"The weather''s great, Endeavour''s ready to fly...Godspeed, good luck, and have some fun up there," NASA launch director Mike Leinbach told Endeavour Commander Scott Kelly just before the on- time liftoff.
Several minutes after liftoff, NASA mission control confirmed a good solid rocket booster separation and main engine cutoff. " Endeavour is climbing toward a date with ISS and all is going well with the flight", said mission control center.
At about 6:50 p.m. EDT (2250 GMT), mission control reported that shuttle Endeavour has reached orbit, capping a spectacular late-afternoon launch.
The last time Endeavour was in flight was in November 2002, also on a construction mission to ISS. During nearly five years of rehabilitation on Earth, an team of about 200 technicians performed routine maintenance work on the orbiter, outfitting it with thousands of new parts. Endeavour also received nearly 200 upgrades to its system.
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