By Mari Yamaguchi
The liftoff of the United Arab Emirates' Mars orbiter was postponed until Friday due to bad weather at the Japanese launch site.
The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world's first interplanetary mission. The launch was scheduled for Wednesday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, but the UAE mission team announced the rescheduled date on Twitter.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H-IIA rocket will carry UAE's craft into space. Mitsubishi launch official Keiji Suzuki had said on Monday a postponement was possible as intermittent lightning and rain were forecast over the next few days.
Heavy rain has fallen for more than a week in large areas of Japan, triggering mudslides and floods and killing more than 70 people, most of them on the southern main island of Kyushu.
Hope is set to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation. A successful Hope mission would be a major step for the oil-dependent economy seeking a future in space.
Hope carries three instruments to study the upper atmosphere and monitor climate change and is scheduled to circle the red planet for at least two years.
Emirates Mars Mission Project Director Omran Sharaf, who joined Monday’s briefing from Dubai, said the mission will provide a complete view of the Martian atmosphere during different seasons for the first time.
Two other Mars missions are planned in the coming days by the U.S. and China. Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned in 2024.
Zahi Hawass says that archaeologists found brick houses, artifacts, and tools from pharaonic times at the site of the 3,000-year-old lost city.
Cheddar's Michelle Castillo breaks down how mental health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger even some return to normalcy is expected.
Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Thaaning Pedersen spoke to Cheddar about beginning production of its wind power farm off the coast of Massachusetts.
President Joe Biden is set to announce that he's shaving about two weeks off his May 1 deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines.
Canopy Growth launched its a line of CBD beverages, the Quatro Sparkling Water, after a successful debut in Canada. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello reports.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Friday to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting a COVID-19 test or going into quarantine.
Chris Marinak, Major League Baseball's chief operations and strategy officer, talked to Cheddar about health protocols for the 2021 season to avoid much of the toll COVID-19 took on the league last season.
Nicky Hilton joined Cheddar to talk about launching a sustainable shoe line in partnership with shoemaker French Sole.
There’s no visual difference between American and European chocolates — but there’s definitely a taste difference. Cheddar explains the scientific reason why American chocolate tastes “sour” to European consumers.
