FILE: This image available from NASA shows the planet Mars. This composite photo was created from more than 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. (NASA via AP Photo)
OAN press room
UPDATED 10:50 AM PT – Monday, July 6, 2020
The UAE will launch its first spacecraft to Mars this month, six years after it was first announced. The unmanned mission called al-Amal, which means “hope” in Arabic, will give scientists an opportunity to better understand the Martian atmosphere.
It will be the first unmanned probe capable of providing a clear image of the planet’s atmosphere and its layers. The probe will also answer a series of questions about the loss of hydrogen and oxygen on red planets over the course of a Martian year, equivalent to 687 Earth days.
“Being able to gather data from the Emirates mission on Mars, along with the data that has been collected on Mars over the years that mankind has been studying Mars, will allow us to get a complete picture of evolution of the Martian atmosphere, “stated Sarah Amiri, scientific leader of the Emirates Mars Mission.
The spacecraft will travel more than 75,000 miles per hour and will have to slow down to around 11,000 miles per hour to join the planet’s orbit. Authorities said the mission will take several months as “Hope” is not expected to reach Mars orbit until the end of 2021.
“We want to better understand how a planet that is similar to ours has evolved over millions of years and how it has reached the stage it is in today,” Amiri explained.
If the mission is deemed successful, the Arab nation will join the United States, the Soviet Union, the European Space Agency, and India to successfully send a spacecraft into Mars orbit. The mission will launch in Japan during a window that opens on July 14.
