Shuttle tank repairs to delay space laboratory launch

THE US space agency said it has once again delayed the launch of the shuttle Atlantis that is to carry a European space laboratory to the International Space Station.

No new launch date has yet been set.

Faulty fuel gauges on the spacecraft’s liquid hydrogen tank have already forced several postponements of the launch that was initially scheduled for December 6.

Until yesterday, the target launch date was January 10. But the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement that even that date was “no longer achievable”.

The conclusion came after managers of the shuttle programme met yesterday to assess the progress made in efforts to find a solution to the sensor problem.

“Instrumentation installed for the tanking test indicate that there are one or more intermittent open circuits in the area of the feed through connector on the external tank’s liquid hydrogen tank,” the statement said.

The agency said the external parts of the connector will be removed and replaced with others to ensure better connectivity.

“This work will take some time to properly accomplish and to certify the redesigned configuration before flight,” NASA said.

“The programme will take time to assess progress of the work before setting a target launch date.”

The Atlantis crew of seven is preparing for an 11-day mission to fly the European Columbus laboratory to the space station. Until now, only the United States and Russia have had their own laboratories at the station.

The crew includes two European Space Agency astronauts.