Article Posted on : - Nov 19, 2010

A file photo of Discovery at the launch pad.

CAPE CANAVERAL (BNS): After days of repair work to fix the technical snags in space shuttle Discovery, US space agency NASA has decided to launch it on December 3.

The Kennedy Space Center “Call-to-Stations” to begin the launch countdown will be no earlier than Nov. 30, supporting a first launch attempt no earlier than Dec. 3 at about 2:52 a.m. EST, NASA said on Friday.

Discovery, carrying six astronauts, was initially planned to begin its last voyage to the International Space Station on November 1.

However, the launch was put off after leaks were discovered in the spacecraft’s pressurisation system. A problem then cropped up with a computerised controller for one of the main engines of the shuttle.

The launch was then postponed several times with inclement weather conditions too playing spoilsport.

The mission planners at Friday’s meeting "clearly identified the analysis and repairs that are required to safely launch the shuttle," NASA said, while announcing the new launch date.

Discovery is going to the International Space Station on mission STS-133. It will attach the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies, equipment experiments, and a humanoid robot – Robonaut 2 – to the orbital station.

This is will be the 39th and final launch of the oldest of all the US space shuttles.