The Launching of Atlantis space shuttle was delayed until Saturday, on allegations of problems associated with fuel sensors.

The space shuttle was inteded to start its journey on Thursday but it was delayed as engineers reported some problems with a pair of fuel sensors.

Leroy Cain, head of the mission management team at NASA said the managers had spent several hours working on the sensor and needed more time to work on it prompting the extension of the shuttle launch until Saturday 3:43 p.m.

Of course, we're a little disappointed in the events today but we're certainly working to resolve our issues and make an attempt as soon as we possibly can, said Doug Lyons, launch director.

There are still concerns about the weather situation on Saturday as Air Force weather forecasters reported that there was only a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather.

Cain said the analysis indicated the problem to be associated with an open electrical circuit in the sensor and not the sensor themselves.

The sensors are an integral part of the back-up system to ensure that all engines turn off at the same time during launching.

The main goal for a planned 11-day Atlantis mission will be to install the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the station which is projected to increase the station's research capability.

International Space Station Launch