NEW : The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off Monday on schedule at 2:28 p.m . ET . Shuttle launched on schedule from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral . `` We 're taking the big ones , '' Smith said . The delivery of key spare parts will add years to the space shuttle 's history . The space shuttle fleet is to be expanded next year .
NEW : The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off Monday on schedule at 2:28 p.m . ET . Shuttle launched on schedule from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral . The delivery of key spare parts will add years to the space shuttle 's history . The space shuttle fleet is to be expanded next year .