The United Arab Emirates has celebrated the launch of its ‘Hope’ probe to Mars – the first interplanetary mission by an Arab nation. The unmanned spacecraft blasted off at 6.58am local time today (21.58 BST on Sunday) from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center. The launch was oversaw by the command and control centre at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai, which spearheaded the project. The 2,970lb probe was built entirely within the Emirates and will take seven months to reach the Red Planet. When the orbiter gets there in February 2021, it will stay in orbit for a whole Martian year – 687 days. Hope will help answer key questions about the Martian atmosphere and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the span of one Martian year – called a ‘sol’. The probe will set the groundwork for the UAE’s goal to build a human colony on Mars by 2117, in the form of a small city. Scroll down for video The United Arab Emirates has celebrated the launch of its ‘Hope’ probe to Mars – the first interplanetary mission by an Arab nation The long-anticipated blast-off of the unmanned spacecraft in the early hours… Read full this story
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