spacetoday.net: Endeavour launch postponed 10 days

Posted: Mon, Apr 4, 2011, 2:39 PM ET (1839 GMT)

NASA has delayed the launch of the shuttle Endeavour by 10 days in order to accommodate the Russian launch of a cargo spacecraft. Endeavour, which had been scheduled to launch on STS-134 on the evening of April 19, is now scheduled to launch at 3:47 pm EDT (1949 GMT) on April 29. NASA said in a statement that the launch was postponed to permit the April 27 launch of a Russian Progress cargo spacecraft. Normally Progress missions defer to shuttle launches, but according to reports the Progress is carrying a time-sensitive biological experiment that would be adversely affected by a launch or docking delay. The shuttle launch is the last mission for the shuttle Endeavour and the next-to-last overall for the shuttle fleet.