“The dawn we have all been waiting for. It’s the perfect day for launch” tweeted the official handle of Hope Probe Mission in the early hours of Monday letting the world know that the UAE is ready to create history.
After being delayed multiple times due to unfavorable weather conditions, the UAE Hope Probe Mission to Mars blasted off into the brilliant blue sky with a thousand dreams from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 3:28 AM (UAE local time) after the team received a final ‘go’ signal ten minutes before the launch and a nerve-wracking countdown.
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 19, 2020
As the world looked on in anticipation regular updates were given about the distance covered by the carrier before entering the Earth’s shadow.
At 4:27 am, the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB-A) successfully separated from the launch vehicle which marked the completion of the launch process.
Following this, at 4:30 AM the probe deployed its solar panels that will charge the batteries onboard the spacecraft in the coming days.
At 4:34 AM it was announced that the telecom system of the probe was being set up. By 4:40 AM the first signal from Hope probe was received and was met with applause and cheers from the team.
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 20, 2020
By 5:01 AM, two-way communication was established as the team back on Earth had sent and received signals with the Hope Probe.
Appreciation flooded in from across the world as UAE successfully launched the very first interplanetary mission from among the Arab countries.
In Dubai, the launch was met with enthralling excitement, with UAE Mars Deputy Project Manager Sarah al-Amiri declaring it “an indescribable feeling” to see the probe blast off.
On Twitter, the UAE’s government declared the probe launch a “message of pride, hope and peace to the Arab region, in which we renew the golden age of Arab and Islamic discoveries.”
The probe will now be traveling through deep space for the next seven months, periodically correcting its course with a series of engine burns.
Hope is expected to enter Mars ‘s orbit by February 2021, marking the 50th anniversary of the formation of the UAE, an alliance of seven emirates.
With this, UAE ushers in a new era as its homegrown Space mission lifts off into its 200-day journey towards the red planet. The launch marks the start of the country’s most ambitious space mission yet, seeking to research the atmosphere on Mars as it unfolds over the year.
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