Posted: Mon, May 16, 2011, 11:05 AM ET (1505 GMT)
The space shuttle Endeavour launched Monday morning on its final mission and the second-to-last mission of the shuttle program overall. Endeavour lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:56 am EDT (1256 GMT) after a countdown largely free of technical and weather issues. Endeavour had previously been scheduled to launch in late April, but was delayed two and a half weeks to replace a failed power controller box in the orbiter's aft section. Endeavour is slated to dock with the International Space Station at 6:15 am EDT (1015 GMT) Wednesday. Endeavour is carrying a scientific instrument, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), that will be installed on the station during the STS-134 mission, as well as other equipment and supplies for the station.

Related Links:

•  SPACE.com article
•  CBS News article
•  Reuters article
•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  NASA press release