NASA’s second rocket launch from the Arnhem Space Centre has been delayed due to bad weather.
The launch was scheduled for Monday night but had been postponed for 24 hours, the space centre’s owner and operator said.
Equatorial Launch Australia’s chief executive Michael Jones said in a statement the delay was due to heavy unseasonal rain and wind.
“Safety is our utmost priority, so we have made the decision to delay the launch,” he said.
The Northern Territory is enduring unseasonable rain during its traditional dry season. Across the NT, some areas had their wettest July day in more than 30 years on Friday.
Further south, Queensland and NSW have also been battered by a damaging east coast low that has brought yet another round of floods to many communities.
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ELA made history last Sunday when it successfully launched its first rocket from the Arnhem Space Centre.
It was the first launch from Australian soil in 27 years, and the first commercial rocket to take flight from down under.
NASA SISTINE will now launch at 8.24pm on Tuesday, July 5, with a third rocket scheduled to depart on July 12.
Scientists are measuring the gases coming from the Milky Way galaxy in efforts to learn more about the structure and evolution of the cosmos.
Preliminary results from the three launches will be available in coming weeks.
