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Europe's ATV space freighter launches (BBC)
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC News
Europe's ATV space truck has blasted off from the Kourou base in French Guiana.
The robotic truck is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) with new supplies of food, water, air, and fuel.
It is also carrying experiments and spares for the high-flying astronaut outpost.
The ship's Ariane 5 carrier rocket left the ground at 04:34 GMT, with the flight to orbit taking 63 minutes.
At 20 tonnes, the ATV is the biggest ship servicing the station now that the US shuttles have been retired.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17470396
