Burj Khalifa lit up in the colours of the Emirates Mars Mission on Sunday night, just hours ahead of the planned blast-off.
The world's tallest building shone brightly with the mission badge ahead of the 1.58am UAE time launch.
It also gave spectators a preview of the live countdown in Arabic.
In the control room at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre near Dubai airport, engineers, officials and media gathered ahead of the launch from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center.
The final go-ahead will be given an hour before, once it is confirmed that the weather conditions and technical procedures are in order.
Burj lights up as Mars Hope probe prepares for launch
Earlier, beneath clear blue skies, officials gave the ‘go’ signal to roll out the 53-metre Mitsubishi-made H-IIA rocket to its launch pad.
Approval came after weeks of heavy rain and postponements on July 15 and 17.
