Cape Canaveral (US): The US space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre here in a flawless start of an 11-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The mission is the first by a space shuttle in four months, after the US space agency National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) suspended space flights because cracks were found in the shuttle fleet's propulsion system.

The shuttle, which is carrying six astronauts, took off at 15:46 hours, local time (19:46 GMT) and eight minutes later reached orbit at an altitude of 226 kilometres, Kennedy Space Centre spokesman Bruce Buckingham said.

And, for the first time ever on a manned flight, a mini camera was installed in order to film Atlantis' steep climb and dramatic acceleration after takeoff-- going from zero to 27,000 kilometres per hour in just eight and a half minutes.

The camera was attached to the top of the shuttle's external tank.

The camera's view appeared to have been obscured during the separation of the solid fuel rocket boosters, which occurred 124 seconds after blastoff.

"We had about three minutes of spectacular view during the ascent but unfortunately the camera was smudged over during the solid-rocket booster separation," said Buckingham.

Ahead of Atlantis' launch, F-15 fighters intercepted six single engine planes, after they came within the 55-kilometre no-fly zone of the Kennedy Space Centre's launchpad, a spokesman for Patrick Air Force Base said on October 7.