CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The space shuttle Atlantis sailed back to Earth Wednesday to make a flawless landing in Florida, ending what is expected to be its final trip to space after 25 years of flight.

With two resounding sonic booms, Atlantis announced its arrival just minutes before landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center with commander Kenneth Ham at the controls. Touchdown occurred at 8:48 a.m. EDT (1248 GMT) to cap the last scheduled mission for Atlantis.

"That was pretty sweet," Mission Control radioed Ham. "For you and your crew, that was a suiting end to an incredible mission."

Rain showers that threatened to postpone the landing did not materialize, and Atlantis was able to land during its first planned opportunity. Returning to Earth with Ham were pilot Dominic "Tony" Antonelli and mission specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Stephen Bowen and Piers Sellers.

The astronauts completed a 12-day flight to the International Space Station to deliver a new Russian research room and a host of spare supplies, including new batteries and a communications antenna. The shuttle launched May 14. 

READ MORE:    Space.com