• Emirati engineers with the Hope probe in the clean room at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre headquarters. Courtesy: MBRSC
    Emirati engineers with the Hope probe in the clean room at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre headquarters. Courtesy: MBRSC
  • The Hope spacecraft was delivered to Japan on board the world's largest cargo plane in April. The overall journey from Dubai to the Tanegashima Space Centre took 83 hours. Courtesy: MBRSC
    The Hope spacecraft was delivered to Japan on board the world's largest cargo plane in April. The overall journey from Dubai to the Tanegashima Space Centre took 83 hours. Courtesy: MBRSC
  • The Japanese H-IIA rocket that will deliver Hope to space on July 15. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office
    The Japanese H-IIA rocket that will deliver Hope to space on July 15. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office
  • The probe underwent several different tests in the clean room prior to its departure to Japan, including being exposed to extreme temperatures. Courtesy: MBRSC
    The probe underwent several different tests in the clean room prior to its departure to Japan, including being exposed to extreme temperatures. Courtesy: MBRSC
  • The probe before the solar panels were installed. Courtesy: Wam
    The probe before the solar panels were installed. Courtesy: Wam
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, visited the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre ​​​​​​​as the last external part of the Hope Probe was installed. Courtesy: Wam
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, visited the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre ​​​​​​​as the last external part of the Hope Probe was installed. Courtesy: Wam

Final checks under way ahead of UAE's mission to Mars


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE is a step closer to becoming the first Arab nation to reach the Red Planet.

Engineers said the Hope probe was undergoing final checks at its launch site on Tanegashima Island, Japan, but that all systems were "go".

Sarah Al Amiri, president of the UAE Space Agency and deputy project manager of the Emirates Mars Mission, said July 15 continued to be the expected launch date.

“The spacecraft is ready for launch and all of the systems are now at a level that is ready to be launched,” she told a media briefing.

“We also checked the ground segment and the operations in mission control and they are ready to accept the spacecraft after launch.

“The final checks are currently ongoing on both the launch vehicle and mission control. We are ready to launch as scheduled early in the morning on July 15.”

The Hope probe is designed to study the upper and lower atmosphere of Mars and will take seven to nine months to reach the Red Planet.

It was built by a team of 150 Emirati engineers, scientists and researchers, working alongside three US universities.

The probe will be propelled into space by a Japanese-built rocket system called the H-IIA, capable of speeds of more than 34,000kph. The spacecraft will separate from the rocket about an hour after lift-off.

The Hope spacecraft is placed into the payload support structure. Courtesy: Emirates Mars Mission
The Hope spacecraft is placed into the payload support structure. Courtesy: Emirates Mars Mission

Once out of Earth’s gravity, Hope will make its journey towards Mars, travelling 493.5 million kilometres. As it reaches Mars's orbit, it will slow from around 121,000kph to 18,000kph.

From there its infrared spectrometer will begin to measure the distribution of dust, ice clouds and water vapour while a sophisticated on board camera takes high-resolution images of the planet.

An ultraviolet spectrometer will also study the upper atmosphere and record traces of oxygen and hydrogen.

Other spacecraft launched to explore Mars in recent years include Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2005 and the Trace Gas Orbiter, a joint project by Russia's space agency and the European Space Agency that was launched in 2016.

The UAE’s Hope probe will be placed in a much higher orbit than previous craft, however, allowing it to capture broader images. Scientists calculate it will be able to make a full circle of Mars every 55 hours.

Despite the recent wet weather in Japan in recent weeks, the project's engineers remain confident the launch will take place on schedule.

Inside Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre:

  • Technicians work at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai. MBRSC / AFP
    Technicians work at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai. MBRSC / AFP
  • An employee works at the control room of the Mars Mission at MBRSC. AFP
    An employee works at the control room of the Mars Mission at MBRSC. AFP
  • Employees work at the control room of the Mars Mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
    Employees work at the control room of the Mars Mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
  • Engineers observe a KhalifaSat model at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
    Engineers observe a KhalifaSat model at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
  • An engineer walks toward a KhalifaSat model. AFP
    An engineer walks toward a KhalifaSat model. AFP
  • Scientists work at a laboratory in the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
    Scientists work at a laboratory in the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
  • Engineers observe a KhalifaSat model. AFP
    Engineers observe a KhalifaSat model. AFP
  • Engineers walk the corridors of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
    Engineers walk the corridors of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. AFP
  • The entrance of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP
    The entrance of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP
  • The entrance of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP
    The entrance of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP
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