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Much as with the Endeavour before it, poor weather conditions in the state of Florida have conspired to delay the launch of NASA’s space shuttle Discovery just moments before blast off.
Discovery mission put on hold due to poor weather. Image: NASA.gov.
Although the Discovery was fully prepped and ready to embark on its freight delivery mission to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS), NASA officials were forced to halt the launch countdown as thunderclouds began closing in around Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center.
NASA has said the temporarily grounded space shuttle is expected to launch during the early morning of Wednesday (approximately 05:10 GMT), once any problematic weather fronts have moved clear of the region.
When it finally begins its latest journey to the ISS (the 30th such maintenance and supply flight), the Discovery and its crew will focus on a 13-day mission during which it will deliver and install important scientific equipment for the station’s long-term occupants.
This week’s launch of Discovery continues the gradual countdown to the space shuttle fleet’s formal retirement, which is presently pencilled in for late 2010 or early 2011. As things stand, only six more shuttle missions to the ISS remain on NASA’s launch calendar.
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