NASA is hoping for a Wednesday launch of the space shuttle Endeavour after a fuel leak delayed the vehicle's weekend takeoff. A number of options present themselves over the rearranged launch date, including deferring the launch until July.
Img: Endeavour crew. Credit: NASA
However, Mission Management Team Chairman LeRoy Cain told reporters the team's preference was for a Wednesday launch, although the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is also set to launch from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on the same day.
Juggling the timetable to accommodate the two launches is a major problem for NASA and would limit the amount of possible dates for the launch of the LRO should Endeavour go first, said Cain.
"If [Endeavour] goes first on the 17th, then the most opportunities we can give LRO is two, and that would be on the 19th and 20th," he explained. "If LRO goes first on the 17th, then the most opportunities we could get for the shuttle is one opportunity, and that would be on the 20th."
The leak that prevented the weekend launch of Endeavour is similar to that suffered by the space shuttle Discovery in March, consisting of a crack near the vent line that connects the fuel tank to the shuttle, according to a Daily Tech report.
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