Discovery launch pushed back to Wednesday

The takeoff has now been rescheduled for Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida. File Photo: AP

The planned final flight next week of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery has been postponed to Wednesday to allow engineers ample time to test repairs made after a leak was detected in the craft, space agency NASA said late on Saturday.

Discovery was first slated to launch on Monday afternoon for its last flight. The takeoff has now been rescheduled for Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

NASA technicians had discovered helium and nitrogen leaks in one of the shuttle’s engine pods.

Discovery is the oldest spacecraft in the U.S. shuttle fleet and will be the first to be officially retired after this final mission, an 11-day trip to the orbiting International Space Station with six astronauts aboard.