After Atlantis’ move to launch pad 39A was held up 4 days due to Tropical Storm Fay and then another 72 hours because of a technical issue, the rollout has been postponed for yet another day. The reason: a foreseen impact of Hurricane Hanna, which is predicted to pass somewhat close to the Kennedy Space Center.

Atlantis was originally scheduled to launch on August 28 to the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits 353 miles above the Earth and is the first telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts to perform repairs, replace parts and update technology, RIA Novosti informs. Named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble, the space-based observatory was carried into orbit in April 1990 and, since then, it has provided astronomers with sharp, detailed images of outer space. Furthermore, its observations have led to astrophysics breakthroughs, of which the most notable is the accurate determination of the Universe’s expansion rate.

Up to this date, there have been four Hubble servicing missions, the one scheduled for October this year aiming at making the necessary repairs that will allow the telescope to function for at least another 5 years. That is until the James Webb Space Telescope is due for launch. JWST, although superior to Hubble, will only be able to observe in infrared.

NASA stated that it hopes to launch Atlantis on October 8, for a fifth and final Hubble servicing mission that will bring about 22,000 pounds of hardware to the telescope. Also, it plans to follow Atlantis’ mission by launching Endeavour, a shuttle that will serve as an emergency rescue vehicle for the former one.