Cape Canaveral, Fla. – NASA will try to launch Atlantis on the first space-shuttle mission of the year in early June, almost three months later than originally planned, so that technicians can finish repairing its hail-damaged fuel tank, officials said Tuesday.
The new launch date now was set for no earlier than June 8.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration managers had been studying for weeks whether to finish repairing the tank and use it for Atlantis’ mission or swap it out with another tank. But they said they were pleased with the progress of repairs that have been made.
Golfball-size hail left thousands of dings on the foam insulation on Atlantis’ fuel tank as it sat on the launch pad in February. The shuttle was sent back for repairs to the Vehicle Assembly Building, forcing NASA to miss the March 15 launch date.
The foam is used to prevent ice from building up on the tank during fueling on the launch pad. The foam is of special concern since a chunk of it flew off during space shuttle Columbia’s launch in 2003 and struck the orbiter. The damage led to the breakup of the craft and the deaths of its seven astronauts.
