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Shuttle blasts off and heads for space station

The US space shuttle Atlantis headed for the International Space Station (ISS) early yesterday on this year's first mission, aimed at boosting the station's power-generating capacity.

The shuttle rocketed into a clear blue sky late on Friday and reached orbit less than nine minutes after liftoff.

"It's a very good day for NASA and this nation's space program," said Rex Geveden, NASA associate administrator for space operations, speaking at a press conference after the blastoff.

"What a great way to start the year and this mission," shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach said. "It's a great launch, it's the first step in a very challenging mission."

A team of NASA specialists studied the launch video, "and the preliminary word is that we lost no foam off, at least in the preliminary report," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said.

The space shuttle Columbia's heat shield was pierced by foam insulation that peeled off its fuel tank during liftoff, causing the shuttle to disintegrate as it returned to Earth with seven astronauts aboard in February 2003.

NASA engineers since modified the external fuel tank to prevent large pieces of foam from falling off during liftoff, and set procedures to check the shuttle's heat shield while in orbit.

During their 11-day trip, the seven Atlantis astronauts plan to install a new, 16-tonne truss segment on the ISS and deliver a third set of solar panels, as well as batteries for the orbiting laboratory.

When unfolded, the arrays will provide additional power to the station in preparation for the arrival of new science modules from the European and Japanese space agencies.

The crew will also retract a solar array to allow for the rotation of the new arrays to track the sun.

Three spacewalks lasting six-and-a-half hours each are planned on the fourth, sixth and eighth days of the mission.

The ISS is a key stepping stone for preparing future manned missions to Mars.

The shuttle blastoff had been originally scheduled for March 15, but was delayed after hail from a freak February storm damaged the shuttle's external fuel tank as it sat on the launch pad. The damage forced NASA to bring the shuttle back to its hangar for repairs.

NASA officials plan at least 13 more shuttle missions to finish the US$100 billion station by 2010, when the US space agency retires its three-shuttle fleet.
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