Space shuttle Endeavour lit up the Florida coast before dawn Monday as it blasted off for a mission to the International Space Station.

The start, at 10.14 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time was the final night-time launch for the ageing shuttle fleet, which is to be mothballed later this year.

Endeavour is carrying a six-window viewing area that will give astronauts a panoramic look at earth, the station and visiting spacecraft.

A planned Sunday launch for the shuttle had to be postponed due to low cloud cover at the launch site.

The launch marks the beginning of the end of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) nearly 29-year-old space shuttle programme, which is scheduled to be retired in September.

Endeavour will be followed by just four more shuttle flights to complete construction of the International Space Station