The UAE will soon add another historical moment to its track record…

If you checked your phone this morning, you may have noticed a change in your network name to ‘UAE2MARS’.

This is because in two days, on July 15, the UAE’s Hope Probe will embark on a space mission to Mars.

And needless to say, the UAE is excited.

A post by Etisalat on their official Twitter account states ‘a historical moment is added to our country’s track record.’

The Mars mission will be the first of its kind from an Arab or Muslim-majority country. There have been only 26 successful missions to Mars from nine countries thus far and it is an amazing feat for the UAE – a country only 49 years young.

The launch date also happens to fall on another special day for H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai – July 15 is his birthday.

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The mission itself is expected to last seven to nine months and will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the nation’s formation next year. It should make its way into the red planet’s orbit by February 2021.

The unmanned probe will launch from Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan and will join two probes already in place. The other probes come from NASA who is studying the upper atmosphere of Mars, and the other from India who is analysing the lower atmosphere.

The UAE probe will study how the upper and lower layers interact with one another to complete the study. In total, over two years of scientific data will be collected. The information will then be used by scientists to research life for humans on Mars and other planets.

The initial length of the mission is two years, but it’s likely to be granted an extension, returning to Earth in 2025.

If you want to catch the launch live on July 15, you can visit this page here. Options are available to watch in English and Arabic and even without commentary.

Images: Screenshots