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The UAE’s “Hope” probe sent its first image of Mars, the national space agency said, days after the spacecraft successfully entered the orbit of the Red Planet.
The image “captured the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, emerging in the light of the morning sun,” it said in a statement.
The image was taken from an altitude of 15,000 miles above the Martian surface on Wednesday, a day after the probe entered the orbit of Mars, it said in a statement.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, shared the color image on Twitter.
“The first image of Mars captured by the first Arab probe in history,” he wrote.
The mission is designed to reveal the secrets of the Martian climate, but the UAE also wants it to inspire the youth of the region.
Hope became the first of three spacecraft to reach the Red Planet this month after China and the United States also launched missions in July, taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars are closer together.
The UAE company is also scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of the unification of the nation’s seven emirates.
“Hope” will orbit the red planet for at least one Martian year, or 687 days, using three scientific instruments to monitor the Martian atmosphere.
It is expected to begin transmitting more information to Earth in September 2021, with the data available for scientists around the world to study.
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