There’s A Chance the UAE’s Hope Probe Launch Could Be Delayed

Weather conditions at Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center could be cause for another postponement in blast-off

Citizens and residents of the UAE have been anxiously awaiting the launch of the Hope probe into space as the Emirates Mars Mission was scheduled to kick off earlier this week.

The planned space exploration mission was due to launch the Hope probe into outer space, destined for Mars, but was held up due to bad weather. Unfortunately, there’s a chance it could be postponed again. The probe was originally scheduled to launch on July 15, but due to heavy rains had to be rescheduled to July 17 (00:43 GST).

According to The National the unmanned mission could be delayed again to a later date if poor weather conditions continue at Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center, where the probe is due to be launched into orbit. If this occurs, this would be the second time the launch will have been delayed within the span of a week.

The Hope probe is anticipated to enter the Mars’ orbit in February 2021, concurring with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations to mark the union of the emirates as one nation. The mission will be supervised by a team of Emirati engineers, working alongside their Japanese counterparts.

Image Courtesy of  Jason Lloyd-Evans (Chanel A/W ’17)