UAE Launches Mission to Mars

Varieties

July 20th, 5:17am

Asharq Al-Awsat

In this photo released by MHI, an H-IIA rocket with United Arab Emirates' Mars orbiter Hope lifts off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan Monday, July 20, 2020. (MHI via AP)

The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe dubbed "Hope", blasted off from Japan on Monday, in a bid to reveal more about the atmosphere of the Red Planet. The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan right on schedule at 6:58 am local time (2158 GMT Sunday). The launch of the probe, known as "Al-Amal" in Arabic, had twice been delayed because of bad weather, but the Monday liftoff appeared smooth and successful. Almost exactly one hour later, a live feed showed people applauding in the Japanese control room as the probe successfully detached. "The launch vehicle trajectory was executed as planned and separation of the Hope spacecraft was confirmed," rocket manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said. In Dubai, the launch was met with rapturous excitement, with the Burj Khalifa -- the world's tallest skyscraper -- lit up hours before liftoff with a symbolic 10-second countdown in anticipation. "This mission is an important milestone for the UAE and the region," said Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, director of the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, at a post-launch press conference in Japan. "It has already inspired millions of youth regionally to dream big and work hard to achieve what seems to be impossible," he said. The UAE first announced plans for the mission in 2014 and launched a National Space Program in 2017 to develop local expertise. The Emirati project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest. "Hope" is expected to enter Mars orbit by February 2021, marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of the UAE. Unlike the two other Mars ventures scheduled for this year, it will not land on the Red Planet, but instead orbit it for a whole Martian year, or 687 days. While the objective of the UAE's mission is to provide a comprehensive image of the weather dynamics, the probe is a foundation for a much bigger goal -- building a human settlement on Mars within the next 100 years. The UAE also wants the project to serve as a source of inspiration for Arab youth.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2400021/uae-launches-mission-mars