NASA plans to launch Endeavour Wednesday

The U.S. and Endeavour orbiter flags wave in the breeze in front of the space shuttle Endeavour Friday afternoon June 12, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Photo Gallery

BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhuanet) -- NASA is planning to launch space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday on a construction mission to the International Space Station, officials said on Sunday.

The U.S. space agency postponed Endeavour's launch on
Saturday due to a potentially dangerous hydrogen leak. Repairs were expected to
take four days.

NASA managers decided on Sunday to try to make one
attempt to launch Endeavour this week, on Wednesday at 5:40 a.m. EDT (0940 GMT).
If weather or technical problems interfere, the shuttle mission likely would be
delayed until next month to allow the moon probe flight.

Originally NASA reserved Wednesday for launch of an
unmanned Atlas rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
spacecraft. NASA planned to delay the launch of its new moon probe for two days
for the sake of Endeavour.

NASA has to choose between the missions because Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station can support only one type of rocket at a time. "It
really is better for both missions to try to go during this launch period," said
LeRoy Cain, shuttle deputy program manager.

Endeavour is due to deliver the last segment of
Japan's Kibo laboratory and dozens of spare parts to the station. NASA is on
deadline to complete station assembly and retire the shuttle fleet by Sept. 30,
2010. Eight missions remain on the schedule.

"Each delay that we have ... puts us closer to the
point where I can no longer finish my mission from an overall perspective," Cain
said.

If Endeavour doesn't launch this week, the mission
would have to be delayed until July.

(Agencies)