WASHINGTON – The Atlantis mission that will be launched by NASA on July 8 will not be an end to the space age, as some media suggest.

Charles Bolden Jr., NASA's administrator, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington on Friday. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Although it is the final mission of the space shuttle, it will open up "the next chapter" in the United States' space exploration, Charles Bolden Jr., NASA's administrator, said at the National Press Club in Washington on Friday.

"As a former astronaut and the current NASA Administrator, I'm here to tell you that American leadership in space will continue for at least the next half-century because we have laid the foundation for success – and for NASA failure is not an option," he said.

As NASA turns on a new page, it will "focus on deep space exploration", he said.

NASA will develop "a deep space crew vehicle and an evolvable heavy-lift rocket," he said. The Moon, asteroids and Mars will be the next destinations.