Cape Canaveral - The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre yesterday to begin orbital construction of the $60 billion International Space Station.
The overnight launch, following a flawless countdown, briefly spread the hues of a false dawn over much of central Florida, drawing gasps and cheers from onlookers.
The six-astronaut crew plans to join a US module carried by Endeavour to a Russian module 210 nautical miles in space.