The launch of the United Arab Emirates orbiting satellite to Mars has been postponed to Monday, July 20, AP reported.
The Amal orbiter, or Hope, is the first interplanetary mission of the Arab world. The launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday from the Tanegashima Space Center, was postponed to 6:58 am on Monday, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the provider of the H-IIA rocket, said Friday.
However, the company noted that there is little likelihood of further delay depending on the weather. The company set a launch window until August 13.
Amal is due to arrive on Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates its 50th anniversary. The successful Amal mission will be an important step for the country's oil-dependent economy as it strives for a future in space.
Amal includes three tools for studying the upper atmosphere and monitoring climate change and is scheduled to orbit the red planet in at least two years.
Two other missions to Mars are scheduled in the coming days from the US and China. Japan has its own Mars mission scheduled for 2024.