UAE's first mission to Mars 'Hope' launched, latest update

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UAE's first mission to Mars 'Hope' launched, latest update

Two previous attempts to launch the probe in the past week had to be called off because of adverse weather

Monday July 20, 2020 8:42 AM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

[Hope's arrival in February 2021 is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the UAE's formation. (Photo: Twitter/@checkmymic2)]

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates' historic first mission to Mars is under way, after a successful lift-off in Japan.

The Hope probe launched at 1:58 am local time on an H2-A rocket from Tanegashima spaceport, and is now on a 500-million-km journey to study the planet's weather and climate.

"Hope transmits first signal"

Dubbed as first-ever Arabic countdown, and with hash tag #FirstArabicCountdown storming on Twitter, Al Amal probe successfully separated from the launch vehicle with clockwork precision and its solar panels deployed an hour after the launch.

Within minutes, the probe's telecom system was set up and it transmitted its first signal, which was received by the Mission Control team in Dubai's Al Khawaneej, launch operator Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Launch Services confirmed.

Two previous attempts to launch the probe in the past week had to be called off because of adverse weather. Hope's arrival in February 2021 is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the UAE's formation, the BBC reported on Sunday.

"Sarah Al Amiri elated"

Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, the science lead on Hope, spoke of her excitement and relief in seeing the rocket climb successfully into the sky. And she stated the impact on her country would be the same as that on America when its people watched the Apollo 11 Moon landing 51 years ago, also on July 20.

"It was an anchor for an entire generation that stimulated everyone that watched it to push further and to dream bigger," she told BBC News.

"Today I am really glad that the children in the Emirates will wake up on the morning of the 20th of July having an anchor project of their own, having a new reality, having new possibilities, allowing them to further contribute and to create a larger impact on the world."

Al Amal, or The Hope, weighing 1.3 tonnes was launched from the H-2A rocket from Japan's remote Tanegashima spaceport. The Dh735-million project is the first inter-planetary mission by any Arab nation, and product of six years of sweat and toil by 135 Emirati engineers, scientists and researchers.

"One of three missions"

The UAE craft is one of three missions heading to Mars this month.

The US and China both have surface rovers in the late stages of preparation. The American mission, Perseverance, sent its congratulations to Hope.

"I cannot wait to join you on the journey!" its Twitter account said.

The UAE has limited experience of designing and manufacturing spacecraft - and yet here it is attempting something only the US, Russia, Europe and India have succeeded in doing. But it speaks to the Emiratis' ambition that they should dare to take on this challenge.

Their engineers, mentored by American experts, have produced a sophisticated probe in just six years - and when this satellite gets to Mars, it's expected to deliver novel science, revealing fresh insights on the workings of the planet's atmosphere.

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