Sultan Al Neyadi’s UAE space mission launch date postponed

The UAE is always on a mission to understand life beyond earth.

As the country prepared for Sultan AlNeyadi to embark on the longest Arab space mission in history, Nasa announced that the space mission had been ‘scrubbed’ two minutes before liftoff due to a ‘ground control anomaly’.

Propellant offload complete, launch escape system disarmed, and the crew access arm has swung back in place for the crew to egress

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 27, 2023

Despite being set to embark on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station (ISS) along with his fellow mates, it was planned for them to be onboard the space station for a time frame of six months.

However, due to an issue with a chemical that ignites the rocket engine, the mission has been delayed until further notice and an issue we ground systems.

Before the planned mission, the astronaut also shared a touching note to his followers on Twitter an hour before the scheduled take-off.

On this planet, I leave behind everyone I love and take off to space.. 🚀

I leave behind a country that has forged its way to stars and lit its path with Zayed’s Ambition.. 🇦🇪

I leave you all behind until we meet again from space..

Your brother, Sultan Al Neyadi. pic.twitter.com/vgbTNXlSvj

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) February 27, 2023

He said, “On this planet, I leave behind everyone I love and take off to space. I leave you all behind until we meet again from space.”

A new launch date

As engineers investigate the issue with the Falcon 9 rocket, Nasa and SpaceX will schedule a new launch date for the mission. Per regulations, the new launch will take place at least 24 hours after the situation.

Stay tuned for new potential dates in the pipeline for the mission.