CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. In a bid to get an Earth mapping mission off the ground before the Air Forces Eastern range temporarily shuts down for safety upgrades, NASA will attempt to launch shuttle Endeavour and an international crew on Jan. 31.
With six astronauts from the U.S., Europe and Japan on board, Endeavour is tentatively scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) during a launch window that will extend from 12:47 p.m. to 2:57 p.m. that day.
NASA officials had been considering moving the launch to Feb. 10 to give ground crews extra time to complete final launch preparations and wiring inspections in the shuttles rear engine compartment.
About three weeks worth of modernization work, however, now is scheduled on the Eastern Range in February, effectively blocking launch opportunities in the middle of that month.
A widespread network of ground stations, the Eastern Range provides range safety, rocket tracking and launch scheduling services for all flights taking off from KSC and nearby Cape Canaveral Air Station.
NASA officials secured the Jan. 31 launch date -- and a back-up opportunity on Feb. 1 -- Thursday after the Air Force agreed to make an important Eastern Range radar navigation system available for Endeavours planned landing on Feb. 11.
The Air Force had planned to shut down the range between Feb. 8 and Feb. 23 to upgrade critical safety systems. Much of that work now will be scheduled for after Endeavours landing.
NASA officials, meanwhile, say preparations for a Jan. 31 launch attempt are moving along without problems.
"As it stands now, the work at the launch pad is going very well -- were right on schedule," said KSC spokesman Joel Wells. "So were in good shape, and the launch team is confident in our readiness to support a Jan. 31 launch date."
The Jan. 31 launch date is expected to be made official at a traditional flight readiness review to be held at KSC next Tuesday.
Should weather or technical problems delay Endeavours flight beyond Feb. 1, its unclear when NASA would have another opportunity to launch the shuttles 11-day radar mapping mission.
A pair of commercial satellite-delivery missions are scheduled to take off from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Station on Feb. 3 and Feb. 6, respectively. It typically takes 36 to 48 hours to reset range equipment between launches.
A string of delays with the launch last month of shuttle Discovery prompted NASA officials to consider moving Endeavours flight into the month of February.
Discovery and a crew of seven astronauts took off Dec. 19 on a mission that marked a return to flight for NASAs shuttle program after a five-month grounding for extensive wiring inspections.
A series of wiring and other technical problems, however, were uncovered late in Discoverys launch campaign, forcing NASA to delay the flight six times in December.
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