NASA's launch of space shuttle Endeavor, to the International Space Station, has been postponed yet another time - this time by 24 hours, form Saturday, July 11, to Sunday, July! Due to the announced delay, Endeavor launch is now set for liftoff on July 12 at 7:13 p. m. EDT. Going by the weather forecast, there is a 60 percent chance of favorable launch conditions.

The space shuttle, which will undertake 16-day space station assembly mission, is already a month behind scheduled, after its launch being delayed twice in June, owing to a mysterious launch pad hydrogen gas leak, which has now apparently been resolved.

The most recent delay in the launch of Endeavor has come in the wake of as many as eleven lightning strikes that were recorded within 1,800 feet of the launch pad 39A, in Cape Canaveral.

Despite the fact that the shuttle is protected from lightning-induced electrical surges, NASA managers felt that they needed more time to ensure that the critical systems of the shuttle were unaffected.

Mike Moses, leader of Endeavour's mission management team, said at a July 11 briefing: "We need to be 100 percent confident that we have a good system across the board. We've seen nothing so far that indicates anything was actually affected by the lightning strike. But we have to check, and that's what takes time."