Live: Space shuttle Atlantis set for afternoon launch

Space shuttle Atlantis is on track for a 2:20 p.m. launch today from Kennedy Space Center on its final scheduled flight.

The orbiter will be carrying six astronauts to the International Space Station. Led by mission commander Ken Hamm, the crew is preparing for 12 days in space.

They'll deliver a Russian docking port and replacement parts to keep the station running smoothly after the shuttle fleet's retirement, planned for this fall.

If mission managers give the go-ahead, NASA teams will begin loading over a half-million gallons of supercold propellents into Atlantis' external tank at 4:55 a.m. today.

The crew is set to wake at 5 a.m. They plan to don orange launch-and-entry suits at 10 a.m. and board Atlantis at launch pad 39A an hour later.

If the shuttle launches today, landing at KSC would be targeted for 8:44 a.m. May 26.

There remains a 70 percent chance that weather will be favorable for today's launch.

FLORIDA TODAY will be blogging the countdown live starting at tanking. We'll start a live broadcast from KSC at 12:30 p.m. Tune in to listen to our KSC Bureau chief Todd Halvorson and WTSP Tampa's Grayson Kamm discuss the countdown and Atlantis' final scheduled mission.

And stay informed by signing up for text messages. Sign up at floridatoday.com/text. Sign up for "Space launch." Warning: text messages will start early.