Shuttle Atlantis will dock with the international space station on Monday to begin one of the most dangerous missions ever.

Astronauts will turn the orbiting outpost into a giant construction site as they begin to boost its size. Atlantis blasted off on Saturday on its fifth attempt and after a two week delay.

Small fragments of foam, like those that doomed the shuttle Columbia in 2003, were seen to fall from the main fuel tank but Nasa believe there was no danger. The spacecraft’s hull will be closely examined in space during three space walks to make sure no damage has been done.

On their 11-day mission, the crew of six, led by Commander Brent Jett, 48, together with three more astronauts aboard the space station, will attach a 16-ton, 45ft long set of solar panels to provide electricity.

Two hours after docking, astronaut Dan Burbank, 45, will lift the solar array’s giant truss from the shuttle’s cargo bay using a robot arm, seen in the photo. Its size means he will get just one inch of clearance as he attempts not to bash anything in the process.

When fully opened, the solar panels will stretch 240ft and rotate to follow the sun as the shuttle orbits the Earth.