Hail damage delays next shuttle launch

Damage sustained by the space shuttle Atlantis in a ferocious hail storm means Nasa will not be able to launch the next shuttle mission next month as planned, the US space agency said yesterday.

Atlantis, which was pelted on Monday afternoon by strong winds and golf ball-sized chunks of ice as it stood on its seaside Florida launch pad, will be rolled back to a hangar for repairs, Nasa officials said.

"The bottom line is, at this point we do not believe we can make the launch window for March (next month)," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale told a news conference.