Washington: US space agency NASA delayed a landmark mission to Mars by 26 months, adding another USD 400 million to the already over-budget project to see if the red planet can support life, officials said.

"We will not be ready to launch Mars Science Lab by the hoped-for date next year," NASA administrator Michael Griffin told a news conference yesterday. A 2009 launch was ruled because it "would require us to assume too much risk."

"Because of a number of factors that need to be addressed, we are slipping the launch to 2011," he added.

Launch opportunities for Mars come every 26 months due to the alignment of the planets.

After autumn of 2009,the next window for launching the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) extends from October to December 2011.

Tacking two more years onto the mission will add around USD 400 million to the cost of the project, pushing its total budget up to around USD 2.3 billion, Griffin said.

The MSL was originally budgeted at USD 1.63 billion in 2006.

"Failure is not an option on this mission," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate.

"The science is too important and the investment of American taxpayer dollars compels us to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission."

The delayed launch also likely means that other projects scheduled for launch in 2010 and 2011 will have to be put back, but no cancellations are planned, the officials said.

Source : PTI