The space shuttle Atlantis was successfully launched

Tonight (02:38) the space shuttle Atlantis was finally launched to the International Space Station, for the journey that was supposed to take place in March to continue the construction of the International Space Station (update, 14:00)

14: 00 Update

About 12 hours after the launch, NASA officials expressed their satisfaction with the successful launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. The launch was smooth and Atlantis arrived safely in orbit around Earth. "The team carried out its operations successfully," said NASA Assistant Administrator Rec Geveden, "this is a very good day for NASA and the US space program."

Bill Gersentmeyer, NASA's Assistant Administrator for Manned Space Flight, said that the STS-117 launch is the first step in a challenging mission and even though there are many more challenges ahead, it was a good start to the launches for this year.

"After a delay of many months in repairing the damage of the hail storm that hit the Kennedy Space Center at the end of February, the external fuel tank provided an impressive output" said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale (whose name literally means... hail).

The initial reports from the cameras that photographed the external fuel tank from many angles during the launch showed that there was no loss of the insulating foam before the separation of the solid fuel rocket boosters. "This bodes well for the future as we progress further in completing the space station," he said.

Mission Manager Leroy Kane and NASA Launch Manager Mike Leinbach expressed their appreciation to all NASA employees and subcontractors who prepared the shuttle for launch. "It was a great night for the launch," said Leinbach, "I'm proud to be part of the team."

02: 55 Update

All processes went smoothly, including the separation of the stages and the disconnection from the external fuel tank, and now the shuttle is in orbit around the Earth.

First news 02:40

The space shuttle Atlantis was launched tonight from Cape Canaveral in Florida to Finn for a few minutes. Within 10 minutes it is supposed to reach orbit around the Earth, and within 24 hours to carry out the tests that will prove that the launch was successful and no malfunctions were caused to the shuttle. On the third day, the meeting with the International Space Station will take place.

More details and photos - in the morning