Shuttle Discovery launch delayed again

The last flight of the space shuttle Discovery, the oldest in NASA's fleet, has been put off again, this time until at least Dec. 3.

NASA is still making repairs to the shuttle, which was grounded two weeks ago after a hydrogen gas leak was initially discovered during fuelling.

Cracks were later found in the shuttle's fuel tank beneath a crack in the tank's insulation layer.

"The Kennedy Space Center will begin the launch countdown no earlier than Nov. 30," NASA said in a release. "That would support a launch attempt for Discovery no earlier than Dec. 3 at approximately 2:52 a.m. EST."

The 39th and final flight of Discovery was originally due to launch on Nov. 1, but several technical delays and one weather-related delay forced NASA to push the flight back.

By Nov. 5, NASA said it had to push the launch back to a Nov. 30 target date because sun angles for most of the month would cause the shuttle to overheat while it was docked to the International Space Station.

The shuttle will carry seven astronauts and space station suppliesduring its mission.