UAE’s Hope probe completes crucial step to reach Mars’ orbit

UAE’s Hope probe completes crucial step to reach Mars’ orbit

The UAE's Hope probe has fired its thrusters for the first time, directly targeting its Mars capture orbit and crossing a major milestone in its seven-month journey to the Red Planet, the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) announced on Monday. 

The spacecraft successfully completed TCM1 - its first trajectory correction manoeuvre (TCM), a crucial process in keeping Hope on the right direction towards Mars. 

"TCM1 was a major milestone for us, not only because it is the first time we have deployed the spacecraft's Delta-V thruster but also because it defines our path to cruise Mars," said Omran Sharaf, project director of EMM.

Hope, the first interplanetary mission of the Arab world, blasted off from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre on July 20.