NASA OKs Endeavour launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. space officials set March 11 as the official launch date for the space shuttle Endeavour on its mission to the International Space Station.

The launch date was announced Friday after the conclusion of a two-day flight readiness review in which NASA assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight, the space agency said in a release.

The crew, led by shuttle commander Dominic Gorie, will deliver and install the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory as well as Dextre, the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system.

The 16-day mission is scheduled to include five spacewalks.