Coinciding with the 51st anniversary of the arrival of the human being on the Moon, the Mars Hope probe, of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, was successfully launched during the night of Sunday 19 to Monday 20 of July. Although takeoff had to be delayed for several hours due to bad weather, the spacecraft carried by a Japanese H-IIA rocket is already heading for the Red Planet, where it is scheduled to land in February 2021 (precisely the date on which the United Arab Emirates celebrates 50 years of life as a country).
Human space exploration advances, and more countries are investing their efforts in placing technologies capable of colonizing other worlds, much more distant than our natural satellite, already explored. Although we have not been to the Moon since 1972, astronauts like Chris Handfield believe that reaching Mars is “the next logical step”; However, for others it will be necessary to return to the Moon to establish lasting colonies there, as a bridge to reach the red planet – as in fact the Artemis mission of NASA (North American Space Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency) intends by the year 2024–.
The United Arab Emirates space plan
As a newcomer in the realm of space development, the UAE has so far successfully launched three observation satellites, not going beyond Earth’s orbit. But soon the Arab country has set the bar much higher.
The Space Agency already sent its first astronaut into space last year on an eight-day trip to the International Space Station. Now, it has launched its most ambitious mission. That the Mars Hope probe successfully reaches its destination will be an important step for this member nation of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), home of the tourist Dubai. But, in addition, the Emirates covets other plans, including the promise to build the first habitable human settlement on Mars by the year 2117.
Planning is very prudent in this country taking into account that both the United States and China are planning another two missions to Mars in the near future; and Japan even has its own Martian lunar mission planned for the year 2024.
In any case, this fine-tuning in the realm of space exploration is a step forward for the Arab world, the home of mathematicians and scientists affected for centuries by the wars and chaos that have dominated it in recent times.
What will the Mars Hope mission study?
The Mars Hope probe carries instruments to study the upper atmosphere and monitor seasonal changes in the climate on Mars. It is scheduled to circle the red planet for at least two years. According to the Agency itself, this mission will provide, for the first time, a complete view of the Martian atmosphere during the different seasons.
