UAE’s first Arab interplanetary mission – The Emirates Mars Mission lifted off to create history. The H2A rocket carrying the Probe lifted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Island on 20 July at 01:58:14 AM. After weeks of postponement due to bad weather, the probe was finally launched under stable conditions. Also check out Khalifa Satellite’s Lockdown Images Of Airports Across The World.
A two-way communication was established at around 03:45 AM. The ground segment tweeted that they had received and communicated the first signals with the Hope Probe. Meanwhile, These Virtual Tours And Apps Offered By NASA Give You An Out Of The World Experience.
The ground segment at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, has received and communicated the first signals with the #HopeProbe. #HopeMarsMission pic.twitter.com/1iFgd5248J
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 20, 2020
The Historic Launch
We have lift-off. H2A, the rocket carrying the Hope Probe to space, has launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan.#HopeMarsMission pic.twitter.com/pRKZLOL7NT
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 19, 2020
Excitement was high and everyone waited with bated breath as the final countdown for the launch of Hope Probe began. For the very time, the countdown was in Arabic. The spacecraft will reach Mars in about 200 days. That also means it would reach Mars in 2021, just in time to celebrate UAE’s 50th anniversary. The spacecraft will study the atmosphere in Mars. Also, did you know- Rare Comet To Be Visible From India For 20 Days Starting July 14.
T – 1 hour to launch, and the countdown operation has begun. #HopeMarsMission#WamNews pic.twitter.com/DaykZ9A5Qa
— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) July 19, 2020
Ahead of the launch, the mission control centre in the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai communicated with those in Japan and their partners at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US. Once an ‘all-clear’ signal was received, Omran Al Sharaf, the project manager of the mission, gave the green light for lift-off.
Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “Congrats to the team that worked on HopeMarsMission. It’s truly amazing what UAE space agency & MBR Space Centre have accomplished in such a short time. Hope is exactly what the world needs and thank you to the UAE for inspiring all of us”.
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The Hope Probe
The probe was initially expected to be completed in ten years. However, engineers worked round the clock, despite the pandemic and now the Hope probe has been completed in less than six years, and at half the cost.
“The Hope Probe represents a turning point for the Arab and Islamic world in the space sector. Reaching Mars is not only a scientific goal, it sends a message to our Arab youth that we are capable and that hope transcends the distance between earth and the skies,” Sheikh Mohammed said.