UAE Space Mission: All Set For Second Attempt To Launch Today

All is set for the launch of the UAE space mission today, March 2, after the first blast-off was scrubbed Monday due to ignition issues.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and his crew will follow the same itinerary as they did on the first attempted launch and during the rehearsal—leaving their quarters, bidding their families goodbye and riding in Teslas before heading to the launch pad. They will then use the "space elevator" two hours before the blast-off to access the spacecraft.

In a statement following the launch cancellation on Monday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Al Neyadi and his crew will not fly to space unless they are ready. "Human spaceflight is an inherently risky endeavor and, as always, we will fly when we are ready," said NASA administrator Bill Nelson after the launch cancellation on Monday.

Ahead of the second blast-off, SpaceX noted that "all systems are looking good" for the launch today, which has been scheduled at 9:34 a.m. UAE time.

If the launch fails again today, NASA and SpaceX have scheduled another launch opportunity on Friday at 9:11 a.m. UAE time. Saturday is also a potential launch date if things do not go as planned on Friday.

If today's launch becomes successful, the astronauts are expected to be at the International Space Station (ISS) by tomorrow. In a statement this week, NASA revealed that the crew onboard the ISS have already made preparations for the arrival of the Crew-6.

"The space station's four astronauts and three cosmonauts will soon welcome four SpaceX Crew-6 members," said NASA. "Back aboard the orbital outpost, flight engineers Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of Jaxa (Japan's space agency) spent about an hour readying food and sleeping bags for the visiting crew."

"Mann also relocated computers to the cupola to prepare for the upcoming rendezvous and docking monitoring operations. Wakata configured research hardware that will house a new space biology investigation being delivered aboard the Crew Dragon Endeavour," the space agency added.

The upcoming UAE space mission is the longest Arab mission in space to date. The Crew-6 will stay on the ISS for six months to conduct scientific experiments before heading back to Earth.