Shuttle Launches May Continue into 2011.
Friday, March 26, 2010
By: Tom Parkinson

NASA's Office of the Inspector General released a report Thursday indicating that it may take longer than anticipated to get the four remaining shuttle flights off the ground. The space agency was expected to retire the shuttle program later this year.

The Inspector General’s Office, which serves as NASA’s fiscal watchdog, says the launch schedule will likely have to be extended until February of 2011.
The office says the projection is based on NASA’s launch history and on internal agency evaluations. NASA had hoped to launch the final shuttle mission in September and the delay is significant because it costs about $200 million dollars a month to maintain the shuttle program.
NASA managers are meeting today at the Kennedy Space Center to review preparations and set an official launch date for space shuttle Discovery’s upcoming mission. Lift-off is tentatively set for April 5th.
Additional shuttle launches are scheduled for May 18th, July 29th and Sept. 16th.