The director of the Emirates Space Exploration Project, “Probe of Hope”, Engineer Omran Sharaf, stated that the decision to postpone the launch of the “Probe of Hope”, which was scheduled to be launched at 00:51 this morning Emirates time, to next Friday as a result of bad weather conditions in Japan. Until the launch window is available for three weeks (until August 3).
He added during a hypothetical briefing yesterday, that "reaching the end of the currently available window, which will end in early August, means delaying the launch of the probe by two years," noting that during the two days prior to the launch that is scheduled for next Friday, the tests will be repeated.
He continued, "We have scenarios and plans for each day, whether for the days before or after the launch of the missile," noting that "the launch window to Mars is specified from July 15 to August 3, because Mars will be closer to Earth in this period every two years." And, therefore, we can repeat the launch attempts during this period whenever required.
In his reply to a question to «Emirates Today», he stressed that the work team is ready, and its morale is high, as there is no impact on the team’s work, due to the change of the launch date of the probe, explaining that the change of time is linked to the state of weather conditions in Japan, which during this period From heavy weather fluctuations, so launching the probe at the previous date puts it at risk.
Sharaf said: “The delay in launching the H2A missile carrying the probe to the Red Planet (Mars) came as a result of discussions and meetings that brought together the probe teams in the UAE and Japan with the Japanese side, and it was based on the fluctuating weather conditions that Japan is currently undergoing,” noting that “a possibility "Postponing the launch again is incoming, based on the circumstances surrounding the launch, to ensure the safety of the missile and the probe, and the success of the launch."
The Emirates Space Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, in cooperation and consultation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, responsible for the launch missile carrying the "Probe of Hope", in the first Arab mission to explore Mars, announced yesterday, the new date for the launch of the space mission, which will be on Friday July 17, at 12:43 am, at midnight Emirates time, (at 08:43 pm Thursday GMT), from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
The launch of the “Probe of Hope” was postponed due to the instability of weather conditions in Tanegashima Island in Japan, where the launch pad is located, with the formation of thick cumulus clouds and a freezing air layer, due to the crossing of a cold air front in conjunction with the original time scheduled to launch the probe.
The decision to postpone the two-day delay was made at a meeting held between the launch team of the "Hope Probe" in Japan and the team of the Emirates Control Center, and between the officials of the launch site in Tanegashima, Japan, to assess the weather conditions before the launch of the probe, where the latest weather information was reviewed, and it was found that The circumstances are not favorable to proceed with the launch process on schedule, which was scheduled at 00:51:27 Wednesday morning, Emirates time.
On July 15, a target date for launching the "Probe of Hope" had been set, and it is the first day within the "launch window" for this historic space mission, as this window extends from July 15 to August 3.
It is reported that determining the date of the "launch window" is subject to accurate scientific calculations related to the movement of the orbits of both the Earth and Mars, and to ensure that the probe reaches its planned orbit around Mars in the shortest possible time and with the least energy possible. The "launch window" period extends to several days in anticipation of climatic conditions and the movement of orbits, etc., and therefore the launch of the probe can be delayed and a new date set more than once as long as this is within the open launch window.
The decision to proceed with the launch of the "Probe of Hope" will be taken at the new date that was set at dawn next Friday, based on weather conditions, where it is likely that in the absence of appropriate weather conditions, another date for the space mission will be specified, within the launch window that It lasts three weeks.
The postponement of launching space missions, especially Mars, is commonplace and expected, whether due to unfavorable weather conditions, or due to urgent technical problems, as it is possible to postpone the launch for any reason, to ensure the availability of the highest rates of success, as long as the postponement is within the framework of the available launch window.
The American Space Agency (NASA) postponed the launch of the Rover Perseverance, on a space mission to Mars, three times until today, when the flight to the Red Planet was scheduled to be launched on July 17, and then the launch date was postponed to July 20, Before it was postponed for the second time to July 22, before the date was transferred to July 30, the reason for the delay each time was due to technical problems that appeared during the missile's test after its assembly and refueling.
The rover is expected to reach Mars in February 2021, and NASA experts announced that if the rover is not launched this summer before the launch window closes in mid-August, it will have to delay its launch until the autumn of 2022.
Prior to that, the launch of the ExoMars expedition to Mars, which had been scheduled to be launched by the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) and the European Space Agency last March, was postponed until 2022 due to technical malfunctions. This space mission comes within the framework of the "EXO Mars Project", which aims to study the red planet and its atmosphere and investigate any possible form of life on the red planet.
Further scrutiny
The American company "Space X" postponed launching the tenth batch of its satellites three times, as the first delay of the launch process, according to which 57 additional satellites were to be placed in the Earth's orbits, was made on the last June 26, and the second delay came on the eighth From this July, due to weather conditions, while the third postponement came on July 11, due to the need for more verification and audits.
Multiple challenges
Space projects and missions aimed at exploring planets or the universe face multiple challenges and difficulties, given the nature of the space sector, which requires flexibility in making decisions to ensure the achievement of the desired goals and results, and for this projects have long periods of readiness and experience to ensure the best possible rate of success.
Weather evaluation
Weather conditions play an important and pivotal role in deciding when to launch satellites, given their significant impact, especially in the upper atmosphere, on the chances of a safe ascent of the missile, which carries the Mars probe into space.
Weather conditions and weather conditions are checked periodically and continuously before launch.
Accordingly, there will be an assessment of the weather situation five hours before the new launch date, and then one hour before takeoff to confirm the possibility of proceeding with the decision to launch the probe in time.
And the Japanese Meteorological Agency expected heavy rains in central and western Japan, warning of floods, landslides, rising river levels and strong winds. Since July 4, Japan has witnessed heavy rains that caused many floods and landslides, to date, 378 landslides, and about 14,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Kyushu and in western and central Japan, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Authority.
- Periodically assess the weather in Japan to confirm the possibility of proceeding with the launch of the probe in time.