TOKYO – A United Arab Emirates spacecraft began its journey to Mars with a takeoff in Japan on Monday in what is the first interplanetary mission in the Arab world.
The launch of the spacecraft called Amal, or Hope, marks the beginning of the seven-month journey to the red planet.
The launch, initially planned for July 15, was delayed five days due to bad weather.
The probe will study the upper atmosphere and monitor climate change as it circulates on Mars for at least two years. The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation.
A Japanese H-IIA rocket took off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a small island in southern Japan at 6:58 am (21:58 GMT Sunday) into the blue sky.
At the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, Emirati men in their traditional white Kandora robes and women in their black abayas watched transfigured as the rocket took off. As the stages separated, a group of Emirati men sat on the ground. They started clapping, one using his mask to wipe away a tear.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the supplier of the H-IIA rocket, said everything has been successful so far and that the Hope probe should be separated from the rocket approximately 56 minutes after launch into the Pacific Ocean.
The United States and China plan two other missions to Mars in the coming days. Japan has its own Martian lunar mission planned for 2024.
Hope will carry instruments to study the upper atmosphere and monitor climate change on Mars. It is slated to circle the red planet for at least two years. United Arab Emirates says it will provide a comprehensive view of the Martian atmosphere during different seasons for the first time.
A newcomer to space development, the UAE has so far successfully launched three observation satellites, but they have not gone beyond Earth’s orbit.
“It was great to see that everything was going according to schedule today,” said astronomer Fred Watson. “It seems that everything is on the right track. It is a big step in terms of space exploration for a nation like the United Arab Emirates to take that giant leap to send a spacecraft to Mars. “
“Being on the road to a planet like Mars is an exceptional achievement.”
.
