The mission is the first by a space shuttle in four months, after the US space agency NASA suspended space flights because cracks were found in the shuttle fleet's propulsion system.

The shuttle, which is carrying six astronauts, took off at 3:46 pm (1946 GMT) and eight minutes later reached orbit at an altitude of 226 kilometers (140 miles), Kennedy Space Center spokesman Bruce Buckingham said.

"It was an absolute extraordinary clean launch," NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said.

"And it was a big deal for NASA, given the fact that it's been so many months since our last launch in June."

O'Keefe attributed the success of the launch, in the 26th flight ever by Atlantis, and the 15th mission as part of the space station construction program, to "attention to details and the focus on safety."

For the first time ever on a manned flight, a minicamera was installed in order to film Atlantis' steep climb and dramatic acceleration after takeoff.

The camera was attached to the top of the shuttle's external tank, to film the shuttle's acceleration from zero to 27,000 kilometers (16,800 miles) per hour in just eight and a half minutes.

However, the camera's view appeared to have been obscured during the separation of the solid fuel rocket boosters, which occurred 124 seconds after blastoff.

"We had about three minutes of spectacular view during the ascent but unfortunately the camera was smudged over during the solid-rocket booster separation," said Buckingham.

Ahead of Atlantis' launch Monday, F-15 fighters intercepted six single engine planes, after they came within the 55-kilometer (30 nautical mile) no-fly zone of the Kennedy Space Center's launchpad, a spokesman for Patrick Air Force Base said Monday.

Atlantis is now due to follow a course bringing it into orbit with the ISS at a 370-kilometer (230-mile) orbit. Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Wednesday -- a week after it was originally due to launch.

Space shuttle flights were suspended in mid-June after cracks were discovered in the propulsion systems of all four US shuttles.

Concerns over Hurricane Lili had kept the shuttle grounded for five days, as NASA cut off power for some of that time at Johnson, to guard against damage to key computer systems ahead of the hurricane's passage.

The Atlantis hold was carrying a 390-million dollar 12.5 tonne, 14-meter (46-foot) aluminum structure, known as Starboard One (S1). The structure, known as a truss, will be moved out by Atlantis' robot arm and attached to the space station during three six-hour sorties by the astronauts.

Each part of the system, which was made by Boeing Co., has a rail above it which will allow a robot to move along outside the space station.

Atlantis is also taking up into orbit what NASA calls "the first pickup truck in space" which will also move along the rail carrying equipment taken on future missions.

This mission will take up one of the three radiators which will be unfolded by the astronauts when it is fixed to the space station. The truss also has telecommunications equipment, cameras and a lighting system.

Commander James Ashby, making his third flight in space, will be accompanied by four other Americans, Pam Melroy, the pilot, and technical specialists Sandra Magnus, David Wolf and Piers Sellers. Wolf and Sellers will carry out the spacewalks to attach the structure. They will be accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

The next flight to the space station will be by Endeavor with take-off scheduled for November 10, to take a new crew up to the space station.

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