The U.S. space agency says thunderstorms may delay Saturday's planned launch of the shuttle Endeavour, which is headed to the International Space Station on a construction mission.NASA issued its assessment Friday as weather forecasters predicted the storms could interfere with the evening liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA's shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters says conditions are expected to clear up in the coming days, if the seven-member astronaut crew needs to wait until Sunday or Tuesday.
Endeavour was to have headed into space last month, but was grounded by a hydrogen fuel leak. Officials believe they have resolved the problem that occurred with a hydrogen vent line on the launch pad.
Five spacewalks are planned during the 16-day mission to install the final component of a Japanese space module, known as Kibo, and perform other tasks at the space station.
NASA is facing a September 2010 deadline to complete construction of the Japanese lab section before the shuttle fleet is retired. Eight shuttle flights are dedicated to the construction effort.
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