Shuttle Atlantis ready to fly July 8: NASA

The shuttle Atlantis is ready to fly on its final mission to the International Space Station on July 8, NASA said Tuesday after a meeting to review plans for last-ever US space shuttle flight. The shuttle is set to take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:26 am (1526 GMT), NASA announced after the conclusion of a flight readiness review session. "During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready," the US space agency said. The final shuttle mission -- known as STS-135 -- of the 30-year American space shuttle program is set to last 12 days. A crew of four US astronauts will be on board. After Atlantis returns to Earth, the US shuttle program will formally end, leaving Russia as the sole nation capable of transporting the world's astronauts into space. Private companies are competing to build the next-generation US spacecraft, but such a vehicle is not likely to be finished before 2015.