HOUSTON, United States (AFP) - The US space shuttle Discovery has headed for a rendezvous with the

International Space Station after an inspection by its crew showed the spacecraft sustained no visible damage during lift-off.

Crew members used the robotic arm and its cameras to check Discovery's heat shield and upper surfaces as the shuttle hurtled in orbit toward the station Sunday.

"Early indications is that all of the systems of Discovery and the external tank and the solid rocket boosters performed very well," John Shannon, chairman of the Mission Management Team, told reporters. "We also look at the early warning system that we have for any debris on ascent and the team sees nothing of concern at this time."

Docking preparations scheduled for Monday include the verification of rendezvous tools and the installation of equipment for use when Discovery links up with the station at 5:05 pm EST (2205 GMT) on Monday.

Astronauts also plan to check spacesuits they will use during three scheduled spacewalks to install an integrated truss structure and rewire the stations electrical system.

Discovery blasted off from a space center in Florida in a spectacular night-time launch, the first in four years, late Saturday.

In the wake of the February 2003 Columbia accident, night launches had been suspended to ensure adequate lighting to detect any launch debris that might endanger the shuttle.

A piece of foam insulation that peeled off Columbia external fuel tank sliced a hole in that shuttle's left wing, ultimately dooming it and its seven-member crew.

Discovery's two rocket boosters successfully separated from the orbiter two minutes after blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center, and the shuttle later jettisoned its massive external fuel tank.

NASA's confidence has been boosted by two nearly flawless missions this year, as the US space agency races to finish the ISS by 2010, when the shuttle fleet, down to three orbiters, is to be retired.

While shuttle missions in July 2005 and July 2006 focused on improving safety, a September 2006 launch marked the resumption of ISS construction as seven astronauts on board shuttle Atlantis brought a pair of solar panels to increase the outpost's power capacity.

"I hold my breath every time we do spacewalks because you never know what can happen," said mission commander Mark Polansky. "So I'll definitely be watching. But I don't think I'll be as worried as the guys in Mission Control and the folks who have been working on the hardware will be."

The solar arrays installed in September will be activated in the Discovery mission.

The current mission is among 14 NASA has planned to finish the ISS over the next four years.

NASA considers the orbiting laboratory a key part of its space exploration ambitions, which include returning astronauts to the moon and eventually setting foot on Mars.

The Discovery crew comprises two women and five men, including Stockholm physicist Christer Fuglesang, Sweden's first astronaut.

The other astronauts, all Americans, include US Navy commander Sunita Williams, whose father is from India.

Formerly a navy test pilot, Williams, 41, is a flight engineer on the mission and will stay behind for a stint on the ISS.

Polansky, the 50-year-old mission commander, served as a pilot on a 2001 shuttle flight.

His co-pilot is William Oefelein, 41, who is making his first journey into space.

The rest of the crew includes mission specialists Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham and Nicholas Patrick.

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