The launch was initially scheduled for 6 March but was postponed due to a malfunction on the Fregat-M upper stage. Later, the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana was temporarily closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the launch was put off again.
A space source said in June that the launch of the Soyuz ST-A rocket with the Fregat-M booster and the Arabic Falcon Eye-2 optical-electronic surveillance satellite was planned for 17 October.
According to current information on the German Aerospace Centre website, the Falcon Eye-2 mission is planned for 16 October.
Falcon Eye-2 is the second reconnaissance satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
