Washington
NASA postponed until Sunday the launch of the first-ever spacecraft to fly directly toward the Sun on a mission to plunge into our star’s sizzling atmosphere and unlock its mysteries. NASA cited the cause of delaying the launch as a “violation of a launch limit”.

“The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft was scrubbed on Saturday due to a violation of a launch limit, resulting in a hold. There was not enough time remaining in the window to recycle,” NASA said in a blog post.

The probe is named after Eugene Parker, a solar physicist who in 1958 first predicted the existence of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles and magnetic fields that flow continuously from the Sun.

Nestled atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy one of the world’s most powerful rockets with a third stage added, Parker Solar Probe will blast off toward the Sun with a whopping 55 times more energy than is required to reach Mars.