The eyes of the UAE and the world are turning to Mars…

It’s a big day for the UAE as the Hope probe is just a few hours away from entering Mars’ orbit. The Hope probe has travelled 493.5 million kilometres after launching from Tanegashima Island in Japan nearly seven months ago and it is expected to reach today on Tuesday, February 9 at 7.30pm.

And while you won’t be able to see it with the naked eye, there are several places in Dubai to watch the live broadcast.

The Ministry of Culture and Youth sent out a tweet on its official Twitter account stating that those wishing to watch the live action can watch the broadcast at Vox Cinemas, Reel Cinemas and Novo Cinemas.

The tweet added that pre-booking was required as there are a limited number of seats. Booking can be done through the cinemas’ websites.

At Vox Cinemas you can make your booking at Mall of the Emirates and City Centre Mirdif in Dubai, City Centre Sharjah, City Centre Fujairah, City Centre Ajman and Al Hamra Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.

At Novo Cinemas, the live-action can be caught on screen at Dubai Festival City, Sahara Centre in Sharjah and Manar Mall in Ras Al Khaimah and  Reel Cinemas at the Dubai Mall will also be screening the event.

If you prefer to stay at home and watch the amazing moment, you can watch the momentous event on Emirates Mars Mission website here.

Additionally, local English and Arabic channels will also be broadcasting live coverage of Hope probe’s final approach to Mars from 6.30pm onwards.

A message from Sheikh Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, sent out a message to the people of the UAE and to the Arab and Islamic nations on February 9, on the eve of the Hope Probe’s Mars arrival.

Sheikh Mohammed’s speech was broadcast via his official Twitter account wherein he says, ‘In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful: My brothers and sisters, the people of the UAE and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations; Assalamu Alaikum…’

‘Within a few hours, the Hope Probe will arrive at Mars. The biggest challenge for the Probe is to enter Mars orbit, with a 50 per cent success rate; though the failure rate is 50 per cent, I believe success is within our grasp.’

‘But I say, even if we could not enter the orbit, we’ve already made history. This is the farthest point in the universe to be reached by Arabs throughout their history. More than five million working hours by over 200 Emirati male and female engineers.’

‘Our goal is to give hope to all Arabs that we are capable of competing with the rest of the world. We pray to Allah the Almighty to grant us success in reaching Mars. Assalamu Alaikum.’

The journey of the Hope Probe

On July 20, 2020 the Hope probe launched from Tanegashima Island in Japan and began its 493.5 million kilometre journey to the Red Planet.

Now, nearly seven months later, the Hope probe is expected to arrive at Mars’ orbit on Tuesday, February 9 at 7.30pm.

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The Hope probe’s next crucial step takes place on February 9 where the spacecraft will rapidly reduce its speed from 121,000kmph to 18,000kmph to enter Mars’ orbit.

Why this mission is important

Once it reaches the atmosphere, the unmanned spacecraft will explore the climactic dynamics of the Red Planet in daily and seasonal timescales for a full Martian year (687 earth days).

The probe will gather and send back the new Mars data to the Science Data Centre in the UAE via different ground stations spread around the world. The data will be catalogued and analysed by the Emirates Mars Mission science team and shared for free with the international Mars science community as a service to human knowledge.

The insights and data we gain from understanding the Martian climate will add new dimensions to human knowledge about how atmospheres work, which will help scientists and researchers evaluate distant worlds for conditions that might support life. Understanding the geographical and climate changes of Mars and the other planets will help us gain deeper insights to find solutions for key challenges facing mankind on earth.

The probe’s successful arrival to Mars will make the UAE the fifth nation in the world to reach the Red Planet after the United States, Soviet Union, China, the European Space Agency and India.

Images: Supplied