Arab world basks in the glory of UAE Mars mission triumph

Arab world basks in the glory of UAE Mars mission triumph

DUBAI: For months, the Hope probe's journey to Mars had been tracked eagerly by the Arab news media. In the UAE, hoardings depicting the unmanned spacecraft (known in Arabic as Al-Amal) have been positioned along highways as part of the country's 50th anniversary celebrations.

On Tuesday, landmarks across the Arab world, including Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower on Earth, glowed red to mark the probe's arrival at Mars.

Seven months after its launch from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center, the probe completed its 495 million kilometer voyage and settled into orbit around the planet in a triumph for the Arab world's first interplanetary mission.