Space shuttle Endeavour was poised for a rare nighttime liftoff Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center to the international space station, U.S. media reported.
Technicians at the center began fueling the shuttle late Monday afternoon with more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for the 2:28 a.m. EDT blast off as there were no major problems reported.
It will be the first shuttle launch in darkness since 2006. Only a quarter of all shuttles have been launched at nighttime.
The shuttle, with a 16-day mission, will carry one of the three Japanese modules to the space station to install Japanese lab "Kibo," a Japanese word for "hope."
Endeavour, which flew its first mission in 1992, is the newest of NASA's three remaining space shuttles. The new mission will be the longest planned visit to date by a shuttle to the orbital outpost.
Source:Xinhua/Agencies
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