NASA's next space shuttle launch, Discovery's STS-124 mission, has been delayed until May 31 due to late fuel tank delivery, NASA announced here on Monday.
"NASA is targeting May 31 as the launch date for shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission to deliver the large Japanese Kibo Pressurized Module to the International Space Station," NASA said in a statement. And the liftoff time is approximately 5:01 p.m. EDT (2101 GMT) on May 31.
Discovery's target launch date was originally set for May 25. But the shipment of the shuttle's external fuel tank from its assembly plant in New Orleans to Florida was delayed by weather. The tank arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 26.
Additionally, NASA said it elected to move the liftoff date in order to avoid having the launch team work through the Memorial Day weekend. Memorial day, on May 26 this year, is a national holiday.
Discovery's mission is the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. The Japanese Pressurized Module will be the station's largest science laboratory, about the size of a large tour bus. The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that support operations outside of Kibo.
The lab's first component, a logistics module, was just delivered to the space station by NASA's shuttle Endeavor, which returned home on March 26.
NASA's three service shuttles will all be retired by 2010. Therefore, it hopes to finish the construction of the 100-billion-dollor space station before that deadline.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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