Emirates Mars Mission Launch: When to Watch

Emirates Mars Mission Launch: When to Watch

Lifting off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, it is the first of three missions headed to the red planet this summer.

VideoThe United Arab Emirates mission, known as Hope, is an orbiter spacecraft that was brought to the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, where it is scheduled for liftoff Sunday afternoon.CreditCredit...Alexander Mcnabb/Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, via Associated Press

July 19, 2020Updated 2:35 p.m. ET

You'll be hearing a lot about Mars this summer. Three missions are launching toward the red planet, taking advantage of the way Earth and its neighbor get closer every 26 months or so, allowing a relatively short trip between the two worlds. If they launch successfully, the spacecrafts will arrive at Mars early next year.

The first of the three missions, built by the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled for liftoff on Sunday afternoon.

When is the launch and how can I watch it?

The launch will occur at 5:58 p.m. Eastern time. Coverage of the launch will be streamed on the web at https://www.emiratesmarsmission.ae/.

Because the Emirates does not have its own rockets, it bought a trip to space from a Japanese company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The company's rocket, H-IIA, will lift off from Tanegashima Island in the early morning