The countdown to the launch of space shuttle Atlantis has finally kicked off as it is ready to deliver the Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station.
The 11-day mission for the space shuttle Atlantis has it delivering the 27,000-pound Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station. The Columbus lab is the add-on piece to the ISS provided by the European Space Agency.
Hans Schlengel of the European Space Agency stated that by “launching Columbus, attaching it to the ISS, operating it around the clock, Europe will become a senior partner in human spaceflight.”
Two European Space Agency astronauts are also on their way to the ISS.
Atlantis was originally scheduled to lift off on Thursday afternoon. The launch window is for one week. After December 13th Atlantis will not be able to launch as the ISS will not have enough power to dock a shuttle due to the angle of the sun.
The launch is still set to take place at 4:32 p.m. on Thursday.