WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- NASA announced on Wednesday that it will launch the space shuttle Atlantis on Aug. 27, according to NASA TV.

    At a press conference late Wednesday, following the two-day flight readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's senior managers announced an Aug. 27 launch date for Atlantis, coded STS-115, resuming construction of the International Space Station.

    NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said, "This was another great review and I'm looking forward to a great launch."

    The Shuttle Mission Management Team conducts the review two weeks prior to the opening of the launch window for each space shuttle mission. The group conducts a comprehensive evaluation of all activities and elements necessary for the safe and successful performance of shuttle mission operations -- from the prelaunch phase through post-landing -- including the readiness of the vehicle, flight crew and payloads.

    "We had a tremendous amount of discussion from all the folks involved, we covered a variety of topics. The challenge of the ISSassembly is really huge it is a very busy timeline," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for space operations.

    This will be the first shuttle mission in more than three yearsaimed at resuming construction of the 100 billion-dollar International Space Station.

    Commander Brent Jett and his five crewmates will travel to the ISS to install a new 17-ton segment of the station's truss backbone, adding a new set giant solar panels and batteries to the complex. Three spacewalks are planned.

    The launch date is at the opening of the launch window, which starts on Aug. 27 and lasts until Sept. 13. NASA is once again limiting the launch to daylight hours to allow for extensive photography of the external tank during ascent. Enditem