CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA has delayed next month's space shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope by two days.
Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna have held up operations at Kennedy Space Center. So on Friday — one day after moving shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad — NASA announced the postponement.
Atlantis is now scheduled to blast off Oct. 10 on the space agency's last visit to Hubble. The next shuttle mission to the international space station also has been delayed by two days. Space shuttle Endeavour is now looking at a Nov. 12 liftoff.
Even if NASA has to move Atlantis off the launch pad because of Hurricane Ike, a monstrous storm looming out in the Atlantic, the Hubble mission still should remain on track, officials said.
Endeavour will serve as the rescue ship in case Atlantis suffers irreparable damage during liftoff. NASA wants Endeavour on the launch pad, ready to go, before Atlantis takes off.
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