Sharjah 24 – AFP: The launch of the European Space Agency's JUICE mission, which aims to discover whether Jupiter's icy moons are capable of hosting extraterrestrial life, was postponed on Thursday for 24 hours due to bad weather.
The launch was called off just minutes before the planned lift-off at 1215 GMT from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, because of the threat of lightning in the cloudy skies overhead.
The next attempt will now take place within 30 seconds of the same time on Friday, the European Space Agency said.
Stephane Israel, the CEO of French firm Arianespace in charge of the Ariane 5 rocket, told AFP that with just minutes to spare, "a large mass of clouds approached and we absolutely could not proceed with the launch due to the risk of lightning".
For lift-off to go ahead, three parameters must get the green light: the launcher, the probe and the weather -- which was "the final suspense," he said.
On Friday, the risk of lightning will be monitored "until the last moment," he added.
The delay was announced to the Jupiter control room in Kourou, where many people, including Belgium's King Philippe, had gathered to watch the launch.
If the weather permits a launch on Friday, the JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is still on track to arrive at the gas giant in July 2031.
The uncrewed, six-tonne spacecraft will investigate Jupiter's icy moons, which were first discovered by astronomer Galileo Galilei more than 400 years ago.
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