Contact with the UAE's Hope probe has been reduced as it travels deeper into space on its long journey to the Red Planet.
The probe, which will study Mars’ dynamic weather conditions, has already cruised more than 126.6 million kilometres since it was launched from Japan on July 20.
A team of Emirati engineers at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre monitor the spacecraft, as well as send commands to it and receive telemetry, which contain key data such as the craft's location and the status of its subsystems.
Contact with the spacecraft has been cut from daily to twice a week as it continues its cruise phase.
Space officials are also gearing up for a third course correction manoeuvre in November to ensure the craft stays on the right path.
Hope probe making smooth progress in Mars mission
"The spacecraft has now commenced the 'normal operations' phase of its cruise, following the successful completion of the commissioning phase in which we have ensured that all on board systems are operating nominally,” said Omran Sharaf, project director of the mission.
“As the distance between the Hope probe and Earth increases, we are now reducing communications to essential operations during the cruise phase as we head towards our third trajectory control manoeuvre in November."
Why has contact been reduced?
Because the testing phase been completed successfully – ensuring the probe’s systems are working as they should – engineers will not require telemetry as regularly until the next manoeuvre needs to be made or until the mission reaches the orbit insertion phase.
Contact will be made twice a week in bursts of six or seven hours.
As it moves further away from Earth, there will be a delay in receiving the telemetry and sending command because of the increasing distance.
Course correction will keep probe on right path
Engineers made the first course correction manoeuvre in mid-August, which involved firing the probe's six Delta-V thrusters for the first time in its seven-month journey to the Red Planet.
A second course adjustment was carried out soon after.
The spacecraft is expected to make seven vital course corrections throughout its space odyssey.
As part of planetary protection protocols, Mars and other missions are typically launched on an initial flight path that is intended to miss the mission’s planetary target.
Once tests have confirmed the spacecraft is performing, and mitigating the chance of an unplanned crash and potential contamination with Earth pathogens, its path is adjusted.
With more than 20 per cent of its journey already completed, there is still more than 360 million kilometres to go until it reaches the Martian orbit early February.
As of August 24, the spacecraft was travelling at a speed of 110,400 to 122,400 kilometres per hour.
It will automatically reduce its speed to 18,000 kph as it gets closer to Mars.
The commissioning phase included turning on the probe’s systems, including its three instruments to ensure they are working properly.
Once the probe reaches Mars’ science orbit, it will use its infrared spectrometer to study the lower atmosphere of the planet and will measure the global distribution of dust, ice clouds, temperature profiles and water vapours.
The exploration imager will take high-resolution images of Mars, while the ultraviolet spectrometer will measure relative changes in the thermosphere and gases leaking from it.
Data gathered from these instruments will help scientists better understand the Martian atmosphere.
It is the first time a global picture of Mars will be available, as the spacecraft will be placed further up in the orbit than any other craft has ever been.
At an elliptical orbit of between 22,000km and 44,000km from the planet’s surface, the height will allow the probe to capture weather patterns and study the whole atmosphere at different times of the day.
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.”
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
