Sheikh Mohammed: UAE on track to send Hope Probe to Mars in July

HH Sheikh Mohammed shared the update on his Twitter…

The UAE’s Mars Hope Probe project is making excellent progress and is on track to meet its July launch date. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, shared an exciting update on his official Twitter page.

The Dubai ruler started off by sharing a hyperlapse video of the progress made on the project so far. He captioned it: “We proudly announce the successful transfer of the first Regional Mars probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai to the launch site on Tanegashima island in Japan, in an 83-hour operation under the supervision of a team of Emirati engineers”.

Sheikh Mohammed also touched on the ongoing global pandemic, applauding his engineers for staying on schedule despite flight suspensions and health precautions. In true Dubai fashion, the probe has been built much faster than the average, taking on six years compared to the usual 10, and at half the cost.

The UAE Space Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has been developing the probe, which is expected to start its mission to Mars in July 2020, and should make its way into the red planet’s orbit by February 2021.

Sheikh Mohammed stated that reaching Mars is not only a scientific goal, but sends a message to the future generation that nothing is impossible with hope.

Once it reaches Mars’ atmosphere the Hope Probe will gather data to help us gain information about the planet. The initial length of the mission is two years, but it’s likely to be granted an extension, returning to Earth in 2025.

Images: Twitter