INTERACTIVE: Emirates Mars mission, one giant leap for Arab world

INTERACTIVE: Emirates Mars mission, one giant leap for Arab world

INTERACTIVE: Emirates Mars mission, one giant leap for Arab world

Journey to the Red Planet

The Hope Probe is expected to reach Mars by March 2021, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UAE.

UAE to launch first Arab probe to Mars

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Updated 19 July 2020

Jumana Khamis

July 19, 2020 22:23

A desire to unlock the secrets and mysteries of the universe has for decades encouraged nations to push the ever-advancing boundaries of scientific and technical knowledge as they strive to explore the unknown. There have been a number of historic landmarks along the way, including the successful launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957, Yuri Gargarin's orbit of the Earth in 1961, and the first Moon landing in 1969.

To this illustrious list we can soon add the first interplanetary expedition by an Arab country, as the UAE begins the final countdown to the launch on Friday of the Emirates Mars Mission. After a two-day delay due to bad weather, an unmanned probe, called Hope, will lift off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and begin its 495 million kilometer journey to the Red Planet.

Once it enters orbit around Mars, the Hope Probe will