The main mission task for Atlantis is to deliver a full load of spare parts to the International Space Station, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The payload consists of pumps, ammonia and nitrogen tanks, refurbished gyroscopes, and parts for the system that operates the station's robotic arm, the Times said.
"These are the highest priority spare parts for station," Eve Stavros of Boeing, builder of the American parts of the station, said. "This flight is really the first flight of the last series of flights to stage spare parts up there."
The launch is scheduled for 2:28 p.m. EST at Cape Canaveral. Loading of the external fuel tanks starts at 5 a.m. Monday.
The six members of the mission crew arrived Thursday in Florida. This is to be the fifth shuttle mission of 2009, the most annually since 2002.
Only five scheduled shuttle missions remain, the Times said.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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