By DPA
Washington : The weather is a concern for the US space agency NASA as the countdown for the delayed launch of the Atlantis space shuttle for an 11-day mission continues.
Weather forecasts gave a 30 percent chance of “acceptable conditions” at the scheduled 2.45 p.m. (1945 GMT) Thursday launch time from Cape Canaveral, Florida with the possibility of storms and clouds, NASA said.
The launch could also take place Friday, when there is a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions, or Saturday, with a 70 percent chance of good weather.
The Atlantis launch has already been postponed by two months due to technical problems involving fuel tank sensors, but NASA said the problems have been fixed.
The shuttle was to have gone into space Dec 6, carrying with it the 13-tonne European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus space laboratory to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) with the help of two robot arms.
ESA astronauts Hans Schlegel of Germany and Leopold Eyharts of France are to be among the seven-man Atlantis crew headed by mission commander Steve Frick and pilot Alan Poindexter.
The 11-day Atlantis mission is to see three space walks.