The US space shuttle Endeavour has launched on its final mission. Its thunderous rise into a bright morning sky over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators. It is now on a path to rendezvous with the International Space Station tomorrow. The ship will deliver a two billion dollar particle physics experiment, known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, and a tray of critical spare parts. On Endeavour's return, the only active ship left in the US space agency's shuttle fleet will be Atlantis. It should undertake its final mission sometime in July.