Article Posted on : - Sep 26, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC (BNS): The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis has been postponed by another four days due to Hurricane Ike.
Shuttle Atlantis will now be launched on October 14 at 10:19 pm EDT. The earlier scheduled date for launch was October 10.

The delay in the launch of Atlantis has had an effect on Shuttle Endeavour’s launch too. Shuttle Endeavour will now take off on November 16 at 7:07 pm EST. Earlier, Shuttle Endeavour was set to take off on November 12. The changes in the launch dates were made on Wednesday during the Space Shuttle Programme's Flight Readiness Review meeting.

The rescheduling of dates was done following the closure of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston due to Hurricane Ike.
Astronauts on Shuttle Atlantis STS -125 will carry out repairs of the Hubble Telescope. They are also expected to conduct five space walks, install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones, and perform the component replacements that will keep the telescope functioning at least into 2014.

The Flight Readiness Review will be meeting on October 3 to assess the preparations for the STS-125 mission to Hubble.