WASHINGTON, November 17 (RIA Novosti) - NASA has successfully launched space shuttle Atlantis on an 11-day supply and crew rotation mission to the International Space Station.
With no technical issues and good weather, "the shuttle lifted off on schedule from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:28 p.m. EST [19.28 GMT] on Monday," NASA said on its website.
Atlantis is delivering over 13 tons of supplies and equipment, including two gyroscopes and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 1 and 2, to the ISS. The mission envisions three spacewalks.
The six-man Atlantis crew is commanded by Charles Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher Jr., Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin.
The Atlantis mission will return ISS crew member Nicole Stott to Earth and is planned to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight. Stott has spent two and a half month on board the ISS.
Only five U.S. space shuttle missions remain before the shuttle fleet is retired next year. Russian, European and Japanese space freighters will keep the ISS supplied until NASA deploys its new capsule-style Orion spacecraft.
