The UAE is now hours away from capping a remarkable journey for Hope Probe, as the entire country begins the countdown to celebrating the historic moment the spacecraft arrives at the Red Planet.
All eyes are now on the critical 27 minutes of Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) — the most challenging manoeuvre of the mission, where precision is the key. But the scheduled entry of Hope Probe in the Martian orbit at 7.42pm on Tuesday will only be the beginning of a great journey for the future of the UAE and humanity — not the end.
The Arab world’s first interplanetary mission will spend nearly two years surveying the planet’s atmosphere to study daily changes in Martian weather — joining an exclusive group of spacefaring countries and also offering the global scientific community rare insights into the Red Planet.
The Hope Probe will therefore not only help propel a new generation of Emirati scientists and innovators but also serve as a role model of how nations can invest on a peaceful and prosperous future for humanity
That last part will be made possible through three instruments that will be deployed by the Hope Probe in its study of Mars: an infrared spectrometer to analyse the temperature structure of Martian atmosphere, a high-resolution imager for measuring ozone levels, and an ultraviolet spectrometer to measure oxygen and hydrogen levels from a distance of up to 43,000km from the Martian surface.
UAE’s contribution to the world
Studying the Martian atmospheres will also allow for a better understanding of the Earth’s climate and pave the way for global scientific breakthroughs — which will be the UAE’s contribution to the world on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee.
But the Hope Probe (Al Amal being its original Arabic name) and the Mars Mission mean much more for the UAE than being on the forefront of global research and knowledge.
Designed, planned and supervised by 100 per cent Emirati skills, the Hope Probe is yet another glorious success in the UAE’s long list of achievements in a span of mere 49 years. Along with inspiring a region too often beset by turmoil, turbulence and sectarian strife, the Hope Probe also recalls the golden days of Arab scientific advances and serves as a strong reminder to Emirati and Arab youth that the relentless pursuit of knowledge makes the impossible possible.
For the UAE has shown with the Mars Mission — as it has with the Barakah Nuclear Plant, Expo 2020, the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, sending the first Emirati astronaut to space and countless other projects — that the future belongs to those who can see and plan for it.
The Hope Probe will therefore not only help propel a new generation of Emirati scientists and innovators but also serve as a role model of how nations can invest on a peaceful and prosperous future for humanity.
