Cape Canaveral, Fla. ? The same storm system that sank an oil tanker off the coast of Spain grounded space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.

NASA halted the countdown at the nine-minute mark after it became apparent that the weather would not improve at either of the two emergency landing strips in Spain.

Conditions were ideal in Florida with a picture-perfect, nearly full moon shining over the launch pad.

Launch managers said they would try again tonight, despite forecasts calling for more rain, wind, thick clouds and turbulence across the Atlantic.

It was the latest delay for a space station mission that already is nearly two weeks late because of an oxygen leak and a damaged robot arm.

In 21 years of space shuttle flight, NASA has had to postpone launches only a few times because of bad weather at the overseas landing sites.

The two military air bases in Spain would be used only if the shuttle developed engine trouble or some other emergency in the minutes following liftoff.