WASHINGTON, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is set for a new launch on July 1 after an almost one-year pause meant to review the safety issues concerning a future mission, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Saturday.

After two days of meetings with managers and engineers, NASA administrator Michael Griffin finally made the decision to launch Discovery on a trip to the international space station although some had recommended no flying until improvements were made on the shuttle's fuel tanks.

Griffin insisted that the launch would not pose a danger to the shuttle's crew despite the fact that there were still room for improvement in the design of the outer fuel tanks.

The Columbia shuttle disintegrated shortly after a launch in February 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard, in a disaster that was blamed on a chunk of foam breaking away from the external tank.

NASA suspended its shuttle program to open a long-time review of safety issues following Discovery's last flight in last July.

In the new mission, coded STS-121, Discovery will visit the International Space Station and continue evaluating new shuttle safety improvements. At least two spacewalks are planned during the 12-day mission, which also includes repair work to the station. Enditem