The UAE’s first interplanetary mission is preparing for blast off in just under 3 hours!
After being delayed twice due to foul weather in Japan, the probe is scheduled to take off at 1.58am on Monday July 20th.
An Emirati launch team in Japan and 21 engineers from the UAE Space Agency and MBRSC stationed at the mission control room in Dubai’s Al Khawaneej are overseeing the launch process.
The United Arab Emirates’ Hope mission, scheduled to launch to the Red Planet July 16, 2020 will conduct a detailed examination of the Martian atmosphere.
Also known as the Emirates Mars Mission, Hope is an orbiter designed to spend one Martian year (two Earth years) looking at the Red Planet’s atmosphere, studying how it eroded over time until Mars no longer was able to host liquid water on the surface.
It's the night before a new dawn. The Hope Probe is all set to start its journey, while its destination, Mars, stares back at us in a clear night sky. This is history in the making. #HopeMarsMission pic.twitter.com/1I1b2TUsfO
— Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) July 19, 2020
The Hope Probe, the Arab world’s first interplanetary exploration of its kind, carries messages of pride and hope to the Arab region with the aim to usher in the renaissance of Arab and Islamic discoveries. The Hope Probe project aims to develop national skills in engineering, scientific research and innovation.
If all goes according to plan, the $200 million Hope mission will arrive in Mars orbit in early 2021, then study the Red Planet from above for at least one Mars year (a little less than two Earth years).
For the *out of this world* campaign, ITP Live has collaborated with some of the world’s biggest superstars to spread the message. Celebrities such as David Luiz, Jacqueline Fernandez, Gary Vee, Jay Shetty, Muniba Mazari, Ragheb Alama and Ahmed Helmy among others participated in the Arabic countdown, touted on social media as the #FirstArabicCountdown.
The international campaign concept was executed by ITP Live and led by Khaled AlShehhi, Executive Director Marketing & Communications for The Emirates Nation Brand Office along with TBWA/RAAD.
Viewers can watch the live stream via the official website.
Are you taking part in the #FirstArabicCountdown?