Washington  - US space agency NASA announced late Thursday that its next lauch of a space shuttle to the orbiting International Space Station has been scheduled for November 16.

The shuttle Atlantis would make its 31st mission, planned as an 11-day flight.

Liftoff was slated for 2:28 pm (1928 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre on Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Weather often interferes with launches from Florida's Atlantic Coast, and the ageing shuttle fleet has suffered frequent mechanical and safety delays in recent years. NASA plans to retire the three current shuttles by the end of 2010.

The focus of the 129th shuttle mission is to store spare hardware on the space station exterior, with three spacewalks planned. Two platforms, holding spare parts to keep the station operating after the shuttles stop flying, are to be installed on the space station's truss.

The platforms will hold spare parts to keep the station operating after the shuttle fleet is retired and deliveries into orbit become sharply limited, using only smaller Russia spacecraft.

One station crew member is to return to Earth on board Atlantis. (dpa)