Kenyans and the world have for the third time in a row missed the historic moment of the launch of Kenya's first EO 3U nanosatellite, Taifa-1 due to unfavourable weather.
Initially, the Kenya Space Agency announced that the launch will happen on Tuesday, but it was later pushed to Wednesday, and on Wednesday, due to bad weather, it was again pushed for another 48 hours.
During the live stream on YouTube which had over 200,000 people waiting, launch director Jessy Anderson called for a hold at approximately T-29 seconds due to weather constraints.
The world will again wait until Saturday to experience the launch.
With all the postponement, which, is beyond human control, a specific weather condition is needed for a successful transmission into space.
According to NASA, in a report dubbed 'Main weather rules', in March 2011, strong winds in the upper atmosphere, accompanied by non-clarity are the main factors that delay a launch, leading to the rockets not being sent to space.
With strong winds, the stability of the rockets could be affected and could go as much as destroying them.
It is also keen to note that the speed of the wind is not the factor, but the vertical wind shear that is caused.
"For launch, the allowable peak wind speed observed at the 60-foot level of the fixed service structure depends on the wind direction and ranges from 19 to 34 knots," NASA says.
Before dispatch, the atmosphere is normally observed, and a proper sustainable vertical wind shear must not exceed 30mph.
Vertical wind shear is basically the sudden change in horizontal wind speeds experienced with a change in altitude.
If successfully launched on Saturday, the mission of Taifa-1 is to take imagery of the Kenyan landscape, and the data recorded will be used for decision support in sectors such as agriculture, food security, general environmental monitory, defence and security.
It will be orbiting the Earth at around 15 times a day, for the next five years.
Taifa-1 in just two years of its development, design, and manufacturing, has cost Sh50 million.
The Taifa-1 has ben developed and deigned by Kenyans.
