Will the space shuttle Discovery ever make it to the International Space Station? NASA announced Friday that Discovery's launch has been delayed until at least February 3 in order to give the agency more time to make sure it can launch safely.

If all things go according to plan, Discovery is now scheduled for liftoff at 1:34am on Feb. 3. "Shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed before proceeding with the launch," NASA said in a statement.

The decision came after NASA's Program Requirements Control Board met Thursday to assess cracks on two, 21-foot long, U-shaped brackets – known as stringers – on the shuttle's external tank. Though NASA fixed those cracks and reapplied the necessary foam to the exterior of the stringers, "managers decided the analysis and tests required to launch Discovery safely are not complete," NASA said.

Going forward, officials will conduct fueling tests, as well as structural tests on the stringers. "NASA will review and analyze the data from the tests before setting a launch date," the agency said.

Because Discovery's launch has now been pushed into 2011, plans for the next shuttle launch – Endeavor – will happen no earlier than April 1.

The announcement is just the latest in a string of delays for Discovery, which was initially scheduled to take off on November 1. Leaks, inclement weather, electrical issues, and cracks, however, have delayed that launch more than a half dozen times.

More recently, NASA suggested a December 17 time window for Discovery's launch. At the time, they were still trying to figure out what caused the cracks and were leaning toward an assembly issue. NASA was not too concerned about the delays, however. They are not currently under budget constraints, and would rather be 100 percent sure of Discovery's safety before taking off, officials said.

Late last month, three crew members from the International Space Station returned safely to Earth after a 5.5-month mission. American astronauts Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker, as well as Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, landed in Kazakhstan at 10:46am local time November 26. Three other crew members remain at the ISS.

For more details, see PCMag's continuing coverage of the Discovery launch:

NASA: Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Pushed to December 3
Fourth Crack Discovered on Space Shuttle Discovery
NASA Uncovers More Cracks on Space Shuttle Discovery
Leak Pushes Discovery Shuttle Launch to at Least Nov. 30
Hydrogen Gas Leak Delays Space Shuttle Discovery Launch (Again)
Weather Delays Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Again
Electrical Issues Push Discovery Shuttle Launch to Thursday
Space Shuttle Discovery Ready for Wednesday Launch
Space Shuttle Discovery's Launch Delayed Another Day
Leaks Delay Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Until Tuesday
Space Shuttle Discovery Scheduled to Launch Monday