Launch pad repairs priced at $2.7 million

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- U.S. space officials said it will cost about $2.7 million to repair a launch pad damaged when the shuttle Discovery launched last month.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said repairs to Launch Pad 39A will begin this weekend and are expected to be complete by the time the shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch in October.

The east wall of the pad's north flame trench was damaged during Discovery's May 31 liftoff when thousands of bricks tore away from the wall, NASA said Thursday in a release. The Orlando Sentinel said investigators determined the problem was caused by corrosion to the structure and the stress of launch.