UAE launched its first space mission to Mars the Hope probe from Japan’s Tanegashima Space centre today early morning. The H-2A rocket lifted off at 5:58 PM EST.
The rocket’s upper stage released the Emirates Mars Mission, or Hope, spacecraft, nearly an hour after lift-off. The spacecraft contracted controllers shortly after separation.The launch of the Mars probe is the first ever by an Arab nation and demonstrated the buzzling Arab states growing space capabilities.
Hope is a 1350 Kg Mars satellite developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the UAE.Hope carries three instruments: a camera, infrared spectrometer and ultraviolet spectrometer. The spacecraft will provide data on the Martian atmosphere, including monitoring weather and climate to a greater degree than past Mars orbiter missions by the United States and other nations.
“One of the requirements very early on was to send a mission that does more than capture an image declaring that the UAE reached Mars,” said Sarah al-Amiri, UAE minister of state for advanced sciences and deputy project manager for Hope. “We are the very first weather satellite for Mars.” she added.
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