Space shuttle heads for Hubble telescope

Space shuttle Atlantis took off today on its way to the Hubble space telescope.

Atlantis and seven astronauts blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission that has more risks than usual.

It is Nasa’s final trip to Hubble and comes after a seven-month delay.

Atlantis and its crew were supposed to fly to Hubble last autumn, but the telescope broke down.

The telescope is in need of new equipment and repairs, and the shuttle should arrive at the orbiting observatory on Wednesday.

The billion-dollar repair job will feature five spacewalks.

Astronauts will install new cameras, batteries and gyroscopes, and attempt to fix two broken scientific instruments.

Another shuttle is on a launch pad and ready to lift off on a rescue mission if Atlantis is seriously damaged during the 11-day flight.