Emirates Mars Mission has been postponed indefinitely
The UAE's orbiter is one of three spacecraft bound for the red planet this month, alongside US and Chinese missions
The Emirates Mars Mission has been postponed indefinitely after bad weather at the launch site.
The launch had already been pushed back by two days because of bad conditions at the Japanese facility from which it was due to take off, reports The Independent.
But now it has been delayed once again, with mission controllers committing to announce a new date in the next 24 hours.
The UAE's orbiter is one of three spacecraft bound for the red planet this month, alongside US and Chinese missions. All three are looking to take advantage of the favourable alignment of Mars, the Earth and the Sun which happens every 26 months.
If any of the missions miss that window in the coming weeks, they will be forced to wait until 2022 to try again.
"After extensive meetings, the UAE Space Agency and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center through discussions with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have announced a further delay to the Mars Hope Probe launch due to unstable weather conditions at the launch site in Tanegashima Island, Japan," a spokesperson said.
"A new launch date is due to be scheduled in the coming 24 hours."
