The UAE is Going to Mars! Find Out More About The New Probe Heading to the Red Planet
With a vision to set the course for the upcoming fifty years, the UAE is bracing itself for quite an eventful year. Yet, the biggest announcement so far has to be that of the Mars exploration mission.
A few months after the leading Gulf nation sent the first Emirati and third Arab to the International Space Station, the country’s leadership announced a new mission into the Red Planet entitled the ‘Hope Prope’.
UAE leaders gathered on Monday to sign the final piece, which will be attached to the probe as it embarks on a journey to Mars, where it is going to collect raw data from its atmosphere.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, wrote in Arabic: “The power of hope shortens the distance between the Earth and sky.”
The metal piece includes the names of all the head figures of the Supreme Council and their signatures as well as those of their Crown Princes.
“Building the Mars Hope is a message to UAE citizens and residents as well as to the world that believing in youth and investing in their capabilities is a successful bet for every nation that wants to build the future, and engrave its footprint in the journey of humanity,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The Hope Probe is a UAE-made satellite that will be launched in July of this year and is predicted to reach Mars’ orbit by the first quarter of 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s unification.
This marks the first time an Arab nation sends a space exploration mission to outer space. There are talks of another mission under the name “Mars 2117”, in which the UAE aims to build a human settlement on the Red Planet.
Feats like these inspire millions of Arab youths across the region to pursue STEM fields and invest in the space sector.
