The UAE’s interplanetary probe Al Amal transmitted the first images of Mars to Earth / GORDON

The United Arab Emirates’ Al Amal (“Hope”) interplanetary probe, which successfully entered the orbit of Mars on February 9, sent the first photo to Earth. Snapshot of the red planet on February 14 published On Twitter, the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Muhammad bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

“The transmission of the first image of Mars with the Hope probe is a watershed moment in our history and marks the UAE’s adherence to the leading nations involved in space exploration. We hope that this mission will lead to new discoveries on Mars that benefit humanity. “. Posted by bin Zayed.

The image transmitted by the probe was obtained from an altitude of 25 thousand km above the surface of Mars, reported on Twitter, the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

As the Associated Press noted, the photo shows the North Pole of Mars, as well as the largest volcano on the Red Planet: Olympus.

The UAE Al Amal research probe, launched to Mars on July 20, 2020, successfully entered the orbit of the Red Planet on February 9. The Nadezhda probe is programmed to explore the relationship between modern weather conditions on Mars and its ancient climate. In orbit of the Red Planet, it will work for two years.

Al Amal was the first spacecraft to reach Mars, of the three launched from Earth last July. Behind him, on February 10, 2021, the Chinese probe Tianwen-1 successfully entered the orbit of the planet; In April-May, the device will send a lander to the surface of Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover should reach the planet on February 18.