BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch Aug. 27 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on one of the most challenging missions in its history of the 25-year-old shuttle program, NASA managers said.

    Officials announced the launch date after a two-day flight readiness review conference, the final step before beginning the countdown to launch. A dozen top NASA officials voted unanimously in favor of the date, said William H. Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for space operations Wednesday.

    The Atlantis mission will be the first shuttle flight to resume construction of the half-built 100 billion dollar space station since the shuttle Columbia fell apart on reentry over Texas in 2003.

    Two shuttle missions conducted since then tested safety upgrades designed to avoid a repeat of the accident, which occurred when insulation foam from the external fuel tank knocked a hole in the shuttle's wing on liftoff.

    Resumption of the assembly of the orbiting space station became possible after Discovery returned safely to Earth last month. Its 13-day mission tested repair techniques and ways to examine the shuttle's fragile heat shield while in space.

    The Aug. 27 launch date hinges on a speedy resolution to another safety issue, involving a internal shuttle communications antenna, that escaped notice until earlier this month.

    Though Atlantis has flown 26 times without an antenna problem, shuttle managers are preparing for a tricky launch pad repair over the weekend that would replace the bolts.

    Shuttle managers have also asked engineers to evaluate whether Atlantis could fly one more time without the vibrations at launch shaking a bolt or the antenna loose. Enditem

    (Agencies)