NASA Sets New Launch Date For UAE Space Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a new launch date for the UAE space mission after it was scrubbed Monday.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and his crew will attempt to take off aboard the Falcon 9 rocket once again on Thursday, at 9:34 a.m. UAE time from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, The National News reported

The space authority had said since the weather on Tuesday was not expected to be good, they decided to move the launch to Thursday.

"Unfavorable weather on February 28 makes the next launch attempt at 12:34 ET on March 2, pending resolution of the technical issue," NASA tweeted.

The UAE space mission was due to launch on Monday, but had to be postponed three minutes before the blastoff due to an issue with the rocket's ignition system. SpaceX took to Twitter early Monday morning to announce that the launch had been called off after a problem with the chemical used to ignite the Falcon 9 rocket had been identified.

"Standing down from tonight's launch of Crew-6 due to a TEA-TEB ground system issue," wrote SpaceX on Twitter. "Both Crew-6 and the vehicles are healthy and propellant offload has begun ahead of the crew disembarking Dragon."

Following the delay, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed expressed his support to Sultan Al Neyadi and his crew, saying the UAE's ambitions "remain high" despite the launch delay. He also offered his well-wishes to Al Neyadi and the rest of the Crew-6.

"The launch has been postponed, yet our ambitions remain high," he wrote on Twitter. "Wishing a safe and successful mission to Emirati astronaut @Astro_Alneyadi and the entire Crew-6 team. #ZayedAmbition."

The success of the new launch plan will depend on whether the technical issues identified with the rocket's ignition system will be resolved. In a statement, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the Crew-6 will not fly to the International Space Station unless they're ready, the National News reported.

"I'm proud of the NASA and SpaceX teams' focus and dedication to keeping Crew-6 safe," he said. "Human space flight is an inherently risky endeavor and, as always, we will fly when we are ready."