Emirati engineers behind the UAE's mission to Mars are anxious as the Hope probe nears its destination.
Six years of hard work will be put to the test on Tuesday when Hope attempts to make Mars orbit.
At 7.30pm, the spacecraft will move into position.
Omran Sharaf, mission director, told The National: "It literally feels like 2014 was yesterday and 2015 – when we actually announced the detail of the mission – feels like it was even closer.
“And this just 50 per cent of the mission because reaching Mars is just half of the task. We need to do the science work and come up with scientific findings.”
Asked how he was feeling, he said: "Sleep-deprived, stressed, but confident and happy".
Half of Mars missions end in failure because of the complex manoeuvres spacecraft must perform to be captured by Mars’ gravity.
Hope will fire its three pairs of Delta V thrusters for 27 minutes to decelerate from 120,000 kilometres per hour to 18,000kph, but the process needs to begin at exactly the right time so the spacecraft reaches its target orbit.
Half of the 800kg of hydrazine fuel loaded into Hope will be used during orbit insertion.
The thrusters were used for course corrections but never for 27 minutes before. Should one pair of thrusters fail, the others are programmed to automatically compensate to correct trajectory. If any more malfunction, the mission will fail.
Knowing the full dedication of the team and that everything is working as it should, we feel no pressure but I know that might change on the day
The team will not be able to send commands to the probe at that time, but they can monitor the performance of the burn.
Another challenge they face will be the blackout period, called occultation, which means all communication with Hope will be lost for up to 20 minutes.
This will occur when Hope moves behind Mars, disrupting the signal and delaying confirmation from the probe about how the orbit insertion attempt went.
Engineers at mission control said they are nervous but confident as Tuesday's landmark moment nears.
Ayesha Al Sharafi, a propulsion engineer, said she will be anxiously waiting for the signal from Hope with her colleagues at mission control.
“I wish I could say I’m not nervous, but I am,” she said. “This is the longest period of time we’ll be using the thrusters and, I have to admit, I am nervous but I’m also confident on how the mission has gone so far.
"I’m also very hopeful because everything has gone so smoothly and I hope the orbit insertion goes smoothly, too.”
Ibrahim Almidfa, who leads the flight software, said: “It feels like a test we are prepared for.
“If you’ve studied so much for a test, you’ll go to the test feeling confident and comfortable. So, knowing the full dedication of the team and that everything is working as it should, we feel no pressure, but I know that might change on the day,” he said.
Nasa’s Deep Space Network radio antenna in Madrid, Spain, will be the first to know if orbit insertion was a success.
If so, Hope will spend 40 hours in Mars' capture orbit before moving into the science orbit.
There, it will spend a full Martian year - 687 Earth days - studying the planet’s upper and lower atmosphere and relaying data on weather patterns and climate back to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre's mission control room.
Success would make the UAE the fifth space agency to achieve the feat after missions by the US, the former Soviet Union, the European Space Agency and India.
The mission cost $200 million from design and development to launch. It is considered to be one of the lowest cost missions.
The goal was to reach Mars, but also to increase focus on science, tech, engineering and maths studies and professions in the Arab world.
Hope's arrival to Mars is also being used to mark the Golden Jubilee of UAE's foundation.
The orbit insertion attempt will be streamed live on the Emirates Mars Mission website.
UAE landmarks light up for UAE's Mars mission - in pictures
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Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
