The launch of a United Arab Emirates Mars orbiter, already delayed two days, has been postponed further due to bad weather at the Japanese launch site.
The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. The launch, initially scheduled for Wednesday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, had already been postponed until Friday. It was delayed further on Wednesday to an unspecified date, said Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the provider of the H-IIA rocket.
The UAE mission team said on Twitter that the launch would occur later in July. Mitsubishi said it usually announces launches at least two days before the scheduled date.
EMM is designed to orbit Mars and study the dynamics in the Martian atmosphere
Mitsubishi launch official Keiji Suzuki said earlier this week that a postponement was possible because intermittent lightning and rain were forecast over the next few days.
Two other Mars missions are planned in coming days by the U.S. and China. Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned in 2024.
