Space Shuttle Columbia launch

The U.S. space shuttle Columbia has lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the Southern State of Florida, on an 11-day mission to renovate the Hubble Space Telescope.

Weather conditions were favorable for Friday's liftoff, which occurred amid tight security.

The seven astronauts on board are expected to conduct a record-tying five spacewalks to install new equipment on the telescope. The parts include stronger solar wings, a more robust power-control unit, a more reliable steering mechanism and an advanced camera.

NASA considers this the most complicated Hubble servicing mission yet because of the heavy workload.

This is the fourth visit to the Hubble telescope. One more servicing mission is scheduled in two years.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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