Article Posted on : - May 11, 2009

Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Atlantis. A file Photo

WASHINGTON (BNS): NASA will launch the shuttle Atlantis and seven astronauts into orbit Monday to start its space mission with Hubble.

Hubble is getting its fifth and final maintenance operation before its retirement and there should be no chance of any flaws, a NASA statement said.

The mission success can extend the telescope's star-gazer's life by at least five years, it added.

"If successful we will be entering our second quarter century. That's not bad for a mission that we hoped will last for 10 to 15 years," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator of NASA's science missions directorate.

Hubble "will be more powerful and robust than ever before and will continue to enable world class science for at least another five years an overlap with the James Webb Space Telescope" its successor, he added.

The 19 year old Hubble which was considered as a greatest tool in history of astronomy hasn't had any visitors for seven years.

The shuttle will fly due east out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, but rain in Spain could keep Atlantis on the ground for next week.

Previously, the Atlantis mission was delayed for seven months due to technical breakdown.