The space shuttle Endeavour sits on launch pad 39A after rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, July 11, 2007. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on a mission to the International Space Station on August 7. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    WASHINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour rolled out to its seaside launch pad in Florida early Wednesday, in preparation for the Aug. 7 launch to the International Space Station, according to NASA website updates.

    The rollout began at 8:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0010 GMT Wednesday)at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crawler-transporter carrying the massive shuttle assembly completed the 5.5-kilometer journey to the launch pad at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) on Wednesday morning and was set up there half an hour later.

    The mission, designated STS-118, will be NASA's second shuttle mission this year, but Endeavour's first flight in almost five years, according to NASA.

    The last time Endeavour was at the launch pad was in November 2002 on a construction mission to the ISS.

    During the scheduled 11-day mission, Endeavour will carry a new truss segment into orbit, the SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3, NASA said.

    NASA hopes to complete the construction of the ISS before the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

    Shuttle Atlantis on way to Kennedy Space Center

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Carried by a jumbo jet, shuttle Atlantis took off its return trip to Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, and it should arrive there on Monday, according to NASA officials.

    Hugging the back of a specially made 747, Atlantis touched down at Offutt Air Force Base around 2:45 p.m. after stormy weather across the South blocked a more direct route from California back to Kennedy Space Center.

    U.S. shuttle Atlantis heads back to Florida

    WASHINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- More than a week after landing, U.S. space shuttle Atlantis began its trip from California back to Florida, NASA reported on Sunday.

    "Piggy-backed" on top of a modified 747 jetliner, Atlantis left Edwards Air Force Base, California, at 9:04 a.m. EDT (1304 GMT) Sunday morning, making its cross-country ferry flight back to Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

    Space shuttle safely lands after completing mission

    LOS ANGELES, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Space Shuttle Atlantis safely landed at the Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles on Friday after successfully installing new equipment on the International Space Station.

    The shuttle touched down at 12:49 p.m. local time after being diverted from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida because of bad weather there.