United Arab Emirates launches mission to Mars

Reuters

Published on Jul. 20, 2020, 7:17 PM

Updated on Jul. 20, 2020, 7:20 PM

On Monday, The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars. The efforts are to increase investment in science and technology to diversify reliance on oil.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars on Monday as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil.

The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center at 1:58 a.m. UAE time/6:58 a.m. Japanese time Monday (2158 GMT Sunday) for a seven-month journey to the red planet, where it will orbit and send back data about the atmosphere.

The first Arab mission to Mars was initially due to launch on July 14, but has been delayed twice due to bad weather.

Just over an hour after launch, the probe deployed solar panels to power its systems and established radio communication with the mission on earth.

There are currently eight active missions exploring Mars; some orbit the planet and some have landed on its surface. China and the United States each plan to send another this year.

An H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Mars explore, lifts off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, Japan, in this handout photo taken and released on July 20, 2020 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/Handout via REUTERS

Content continues below

The Emirates Mars Mission has cost $200 million, according to Minister for Advanced Sciences Sarah Amiri. It aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.

The UAE first announced plans for the mission in 2014 and launched a National Space Programme in 2017 to develop local expertise. Its population of 9.4 million, most of whom are foreign workers, lacks the scientific and industrial base of the big spacefaring nations.

It has an ambitious plan for a Mars settlement by 2117. Hazza al-Mansouri became the first Emirati in space last September when he flew to the International Space Station.

To develop and build the Hope Probe, Emiratis and Dubai's Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) worked with U.S. educational institutions.

The MBRSC space centre in Dubai will oversee the spacecraft during its 494 million km (307 milion mile) journey at an average speed of 121,000 km per hour.

Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Jacob Greaves; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Diane Craft and Kim Coghill

Cover image credit: An H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Mars explore, rises into the air after blasting off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 20, 2020. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS