The launch is due to take place at 7:17 am (1117 GMT) at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the US space agency said in a statement after a meeting of top officials to assess preparations.

NASA will have a three-day window to launch until June 15, as another launch of a moon probe has been scheduled to take place on June 17 at the nearby military base.

If Endeavour's June launch has to be postponed then the next available date will be from July 12.

The mission of the Endeavour's seven-strong crew to the International Space Station (ISS) is due to last 16 days. They will install the last element of the Japanese Kibo laboratory, a platform to conduct zero-gravity experiments.

Endeavour will also take US astronaut Tim Kopra to the ISS to replace Japan's Koichi Wakata who will return to Earth on board the shuttle.

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