16 Jul 2009

Sixth time lucky for space shuttle takeoff

9:09 pm on 16 July 2009

The American space shuttle Endeavour is on its way to the international space station after more than a month of delays.

It finally blasted off from the Kennedy space centre in Florida on Thursday morning after five earlier attempts thwarted by fuel leaks and thunderstorms.

The crew of five will complete the installation of the Japanese Kibo laboratory on the space station, which has been under construction for more than a decade. It consists of nearly 26,000 cubic feet (735 cubic metres) of pressurized space.

NASA is trying to complete it by 30 September 2010.