Article Posted on : - May 01, 2009

Space shuttle Atlantis launches from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. NASA Photo.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (BNS): After reviewing space shuttle Atlantis flight readiness, NASA has announced its launch for STS-125 mission to upgrade Hubble Space Telescope on May 11.

Commander Scott Altman and his six crew members are scheduled to lift off at 2:01 p.m. EDT, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to a release.

�Atlantis 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to renovate Hubble with state-of the-art science instruments. After the astronaut�s visit, the telescope�s capabilities will be expanded and its lifetime extended through at least 2014,� it said.

NASA announced the official launch date for Atlantis on Thursday, after top managers reviewed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight.

The Atlantis mission was delayed for seven months due to technical breakdown.