The US space agency NASA has postponed the launch of its space shuttle Endeavour until Monday due to thunderstorms near the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The launch had been originally scheduled for Sunday.

 

"Looks like the team is ready but the weather is not. At this time we are no-go," an official at NASA said on Sunday. The next launch attempt will be at 6.51 p.m. on Monday.

 

Endeavour should have blasted off to the international space station in mid-June, but the launch had to be postponed due to technical problems.

 

Endeavour's 16-day mission will include five spacewalks and construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. A platform on an exterior side of the module will be attached by the astronauts. This would allow experiments to be exposed to space.