Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off safely from Florida

The space shuttle Atlantis lifted off successfully from Cape Canaveral in Florida last night after a four-day delay because of a leaking fuel line on the launch pad.

The shuttle and its crew will spend around 11 days in space, bringing a 44ft section of latticework with a railcar and track to the Alpha international space station.

Security at the launch site was extremely tight because of fears of a terrorist attack and warplanes and attack helicopters were patrolling no-fly and no-sail zones on the lookout for potential intruders.

A new NASA security policy also kept the astronaut’s whereabouts a secret until they arrived at the launch pad.