Last Updated on July 20, 2020, 9:09 PM AST by Anthony Morris
The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has launched its Mars-bound Hope Probe successfully on Sunday and marked the first interplanetary mission of the Arab world and the beginning of three international missions to the Mars this summer.
The Hope Probe took off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center, after a delay last week which was caused due to bad weather. The solid rocket booster separated from the launch vehicle successfully, and the probe has also established two-way communication with the ground segment based in Dubai.
The Hope probe, or the Al Amal as it is known in Arabic, is expected to reach Mars by February next year. It would be for the first time when the UAE would orbit Mars, and the probe would stay in orbit for one Martian year which is equivalent to 687 days on Earth and gather data about the atmosphere of Mars.
The official Hope Mars Mission account tweeted after the launch and said that it’s an honour to be a part of the ongoing global efforts of exploring deep space.
The tweet also said that the Hope Probe is the culmination of every step which the humans have taken throughout history to explore the depths of space which are unknown.
Meanwhile, the United States and China are also looking forward to their Mars missions for this summer. China’s Tianwen 1 and NASA’s Perseverance Rover are expected to launch at some time between late July and early August, though the exact dates would depend on the daily launch conditions.
These three countries are launching this summer because of the occurrence of a biennial window, which means the time when Mars and Earth are at the minimum from each other, which would make the journey a bit shorter.
NASA tweeted and said congratulations to the UAE after the successful launch of Hope.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
