From correspondents in Washington, United States, 02:01 PM IST

US space agency NASA Wednesday postponed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour after technicians detected a hydrogen gas leak during fuelling just hours before scheduled lift-off.

The shuttle's launch had been set for 5.40 a.m. (0940 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida for a 16-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was to carry the final pieces to the Japanese Kibo module of the ISS.

The aborted launch followed a four-day delay caused by a similar leak of the potentially hazardous gas from an external fuel tank.

A new launch date was set for July 11, NASA officials said after the mission was called off Wednesday.

The seven-member crew were to install a porch for experiments outside the space station, bring spare equipment and conduct other repairs during five planned spacewalks.

NASA postponed the Endeavour lift-off after it discovered that hydrogen was leaking from a vent line and had to empty the fuel tank containing liquid hydrogen and oxygen.

The problem was similar to one in March that delayed the launch of the Discovery shuttle.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)