NASA has given a green light to Discovery's STS-119 mission to the International Space Station following a review of a potentially troublesome hydrogen flow control valve. The shuttle will blast off from Kennedy Space Center at 9:20 pm EDT on Wednesday (01:20 GMT Thursday).

Discovery's launch was previously knocked back following damage to a hydrogen flow control valve during Endeavour's November 2008 STS-126 mission. NASA explains: "The three flow control valves, one for each space shuttle main engine, channel gaseous hydrogen from the engines through the main propulsion system and back to the external fuel tank. This flow regulation maintains the tank's structural integrity and delivers liquid hydrogen to the engines at the correct pressure."

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