The introduction of the STS101 Hubble emergency repair mission 3A in October and the timing of the launch of the Russian International Space Station (ISS) Service Module in September have led to a shifting of ISS Shuttle flights.
Although the STS96 is still scheduled for a May logistics flight to the Zarya-Unity modules in orbit, the STS101 logistics flight has lost its October launch slot to the STS101 Hubble flight. It will have to wait until the Service Module is launched. Two non-ISS Shuttle missions are planned for July and September.
The high-profile mission, STS92, which will conduct the first multiple assembly of ISS components, has been pushed back from December to February 2000.
NASA admits that the planned completion of the ISS will not be until October 2004 - 10 years later than planned.
NASA's inspector general, meanwhile, says that the agency has not completely addressed all the concerns surrounding continued Russian delays on the ISS and their effect on the rest of the project.
The Space Station's contingency plan to accommodate possible Russian delays was not sufficient, says the inspector general, who adds that the possible effects of the Year 2000 computer bug were also missing from the contingency plan.
• Spar Aerospace has delivered the International Space Station remote manipulator system (SSRMS) to the Canadian Space Agency for shipment to NASA for launch on the STS99 next year. The SSRMS includes a Special Purpose Dextruous Manipulator.
Source: Flight International
