The space shuttle Discovery was launched

The shuttle is carrying with it to the space station as part of the STS-124 mission the main body of the Japanese space laboratory Kibu * A Fox network commentator claims that two large pieces of foam fell during the launch from the external fuel tank and damaged the shuttle. It is not clear what the extent of the damage is, if any

The space shuttle is on its way to a 14-day mission to attach a new scientific component to the International Space Station. The launch took place as planned at 17:02 EST, 00:02 Israel time from the Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle is now on a trajectory that will bring it to the space station within two days.

Seven astronauts in the shuttle headed by Commander Mark Kelly, the pilot is Ken Ham, and with them Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Possum, Gregory Chaimtoff and the Japanese Akihito Hoshida. Chaimtoff will switch places with astronaut Garrett Reisman who has been on the space station for the past three months.

The group will spend most of the time in space installing the compressed Japanese component of Kibo Laboratory to the International Space Station and adapting it to work as a scientific space laboratory. The module is the largest human habitable component on the station and is equipped with its own independent robotic arm. A smaller component was launched into space on the shuttle's previous mission and will be transferred by Discovery crew members to its permanent position above the compressed component. The name Kibu means hope in Japanese.

00: 04 Update

At exactly two minutes past midnight, the space shuttle Discovery took off.

The space station carries inside it the main part of the Japanese space laboratory Kibu. The component in question, the compressed component is so large that the astronauts had to give up the shuttle arm component and leave it on the space station. Therefore, they will be forced to forgo an in-depth inspection of the shuttle's shell during the two-day flight to the space station, and will perform these inspections after they arrive at the station.

Update 00:07

Five minutes after the launch - the shuttle climbs to orbit, the two rocket boosters separated and in a few minutes it will also separate from the main tank.

00: 18 Update

Although the launch appears to have gone smoothly, tests of the photographs taken during the launch revealed that two pieces of foam apparently hit the shuttle. NASA will assess the extent of the damage, if any, to the shuttle, but the astronauts themselves will only be able to inspect the shuttle when they arrive at the space station.

For details about the mission - "Hope will take off with Discovery"