Space Shuttle Endeavour has successfully launched on what is to be the spacecraft’s final ever mission. According to Commander Mark Kelly, the mission represents a commitment to exploration that must never stop. Endeavour is currently making its way to the International Space Station with crucial spare parts and an Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The shuttle is due to dock with the ISS on Wednesday.

Once Endeavour returns to Earth, only space shuttle Atlantis will remain operational. It is due to make its final flight this July. The journey will mark the end of a 30-year programme run by space agency Nasa.

There are currently a number of private firms working on vehicles which will be used in future to carry astronauts into low-Earth orbit. Until then, travel to the ISS will take place on Russian built spacecraft. Nasa will no longer own its own spacecraft but will be able to buy seats on so called space taxis.

The idea behind using private firms instead of building more low-Earth orbit vehicles is to free up resources to develop a Space launch System which could carry man to Mars. This final journey will be the 25^th time Endeavour has gone into space. The shuttle has travelled some 166 million km during its service which is farther than the distance between the Sun and the Earth.

It is hoped that the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer being carried to the ISS will give a better idea to scientists of how the universe was formed. The machine has taken 17 years to develop.