Hope Mars Mission: UAE launches first-ever Arab space mission to explore Red Planet

The United Arab Emirates launched 'Hope' - an unmanned space probe to Mars from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on July 19, 2020. The historic space mission has made UAE the first Arab nation to achieve the feat.

Hope Probe Spacecraft will aim to study the atmosphere of the Red Planet. It was launched aboard H2A rocket from southern Japan at 6:58 am local time. The mission is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission and it places UAE much ahead of all the gulf nations in the space sector. 

The probe's launch had been twice delayed earlier because of bad weather. The space probe is expected to reach the Red Planet by February 2021, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of UAE’s unification- an alliance of seven emirates.

لحظات انطلاق مسبار الأمل إلى المريخ حاملاً معه طموحات قيادة وشعب دولة #الإمارات وآمال كل العرب #مسبار_الأمل #أول_عد_تنازلي_عربي #العرب_إلى_المريخ pic.twitter.com/l6LrELXwlD

— UAEGov (@uaegov) July 19, 2020

Key Highlights 

• The separation of the Hope spacecraft was confirmed after the launch vehicle trajectory was executed as planned. The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, had been lit up hours before the historic liftoff. It displayed the 10-second countdown moments before the launch. 

• This mission is a huge milestone for the UAE and for the Gulf Region. The UAE has been making huge scientific leaps in comparison to the rest of the Gulf nations by building a nuclear power programme and sending a man to space. 

• Director-General of UAE Space Agency Mohammed al-Ahbabi stated that the nation had figured out that space is very important for the nation’s development and sustainability. 

• The deputy project manager of the mission stated that they have worked on investing in the space sector for over 15 years. The main objective it to ensure that the talent is developed for the rest of the region.

• The UAE has opened its doors to Arabs across the region to take part in its three-year space programme in its runup to the Mars mission. 

• Sarah al-Amiri stated that the Arabs will be allowed to come in, gain experience and be the vehicles of change for the entire region. 

• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is spearheading the Mars project and more than half of the people working on the project are Emirati.

UAE sends man to space

UAE’s Hazza al-Mansouri had become the first Emirati to travel to space and visit the International Space Station. He was a part of a three-member crew that blasted off on a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan in September 2019. He had returned home after an eight-day mission. 

Background

UAE's space probe is one of three Mars missions scheduled for this year, other two include Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States. The missions aim to take advantage of the period when Mars is closest to the Earth. In October 2020, Mars is expected to be comparatively close to the Earth at about 38.6 million miles away.

However, unlike the other two Mars missions, which aim to land on the red planet, UAE's mission will orbit the planet for 687 days or one whole Martian year.  

Only India, US, USSR and European Space Agency have been successful till now in sending missions to orbit the Red planet. India had created history by becoming the first country to successfully insert its Mars Orbiter Mission, Manglayaan, in the Martian orbit in its first attempt. India’s Mangalyaan had entered Mars orbit on September 24, 2014.