Article Source: Telegraph.co.uk

US space shuttle Atlantis has lifted off its seaside launch pad, loaded with spare parts to keep the International Space Station flying after the shuttles are retired next year. Nasa's fifth and final flight of the year began at 2:28 pm EST (1928 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center near Florida's Cape Canaveral when Atlantis' twin booster rockets ignited, sending the 24-year-old ship through partly cloudy skies to begin its 31st journey into orbit. Docking at the space station was scheduled for Wednesday.

The shuttle carries nearly 30,000 pounds (13,610 kg) of equipment, most of which is too big to be launched by the Russian, European and Japanese cargo ships expected to keep the station supplied after the shuttles are retired.

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