The Harmony module rests inside Discovery's payload bay while the shuttle orbits the Earth.
Piercing a light layer of clouds, Discovery lifted off at 11:38 a.m. EDT, launching despite a chunk of ice on a fuel line that appeared to be melting as liftoff approached.
Main Engine Cutoff was confirmed some nine minutes into the flight.
On the 23rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-120 will deliver the Italian-built Harmony module for the station.
The orbiter will dock with the ISS on Thursday morning.
Pamela A. Melroy commands the mission, her third shuttle flight. She is the second woman to command a shuttle. George D. Zamka serves as pilot. Mission specialists are Scott E. Parazynski, Douglas H. Wheelock, Stephanie D. Wilson and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy.
Expedition 15/16 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson will return from the ISS with Discovery's crew, who are carrying his replacment, Daniel Tani, to the station.
The 14-day mission ends Nov. 6.
The ice was found on the 17-inch liquid hydrogen umbilical fuel line that goes into the tank.
The ice appeared to be 4 inches by 1.5 inches in diameter. It diminished slightly before launch.
And just before launch, the shuttle team is also looked into a slight reading of hazardous gas in the aft of the orbiter. An "extremely minor" measurement of liquid hydrogen gas in the aft compartment is the issue. The early analysis is that it won't be an issue for launch because the amount is so tiny.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE LAUNCH
You can also look over our STS-120 launch day extras page.
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