NASA had no other viable alternative but to delay the launch of the space shuttle for the fourth time due to a few small mistakes revealed by the latest data report on the craft.

Shuttle managers gathered at Kennedy Space Center for a meeting that took 13 hours and ended with the decision not to launch the space shuttle next week, as scheduled. NASA planned to launch the shuttle to the International Space Station no sooner than February 27. The assembly of shuttle engineers did not settle on a new launch date yet.

The potentially dangerous problem that delayed the launch was in the space shuttle’s fuel valves in the engine compartment. NASA says the chances of launching the space shuttle on its way to the ISS until mid-March are high enough to be optimistic about it. If by that time the shuttle is not launched, it will have to be launched after a Russian Soyuz carries out its scheduled launch. If the mid-March term is not met, the next day after that will most likely be after April 6.

NASA wanted to launch the space shuttle with a new set of solar wings on February 12, but tests were carried out to check on the valves that control the flow of hydrogen gas into the external fuel tank during liftoff. More tests will probably be needed, said shuttle program manager John Shannon.

The engineers want to find out if the crew of the shuttle would be safe in case a valve breaks again. Concerns grew on that issue after one of the valves cracked during the last launch.