Awwal 25, 1432 / April 29, 2011, SPA -- The planned launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on its final mission was postponed Friday because of a technical issue just hours before blastoff, dpa reported. Flight engineers were examining a problem with two heaters that are part of a power unit, which provides energy to the shuttle's steering system during takeoff and landing. Endeavour had been scheduled to blast off on its final mission at 3:47 pm (1947 GMT) from Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying six astronauts on a two-week mission to the orbiting International Space Station. NASA officials said the launch would be be put off until at least Monday afternoon to allow engineers to assess and fix the heater problem. Engineers will have to drain Endeavour's fuel tank and put up a platform to access the area in order to conduct repairs.
