Countdown begins to UAE Hope Probe's arrival to Mars

The UAE is counting down to the Hope Probe's arrival on the Red Planet's orbit next week.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, reviewed the mission's progress during a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. 

The first-ever Arab interplanetary mission is expected to reach the Mars orbit on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 7:42 pm UAE time.

Its successful arrival will make the UAE the fifth nation in the world to reach the Red Planet after the United States, Soviet Union, China, the European Space Agency and India, and the third to achieve the feat on the first attempt.

As the countdown for the Hope probe’s arrival begins, the UAE leaders invited people in the UAE and across the region to celebrate the historic mission that represents the Arab world’s breakthrough in space exploration.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said, "The UAE has led the Arab world to new frontiers in deep space for the first time in history. Our space mission carries a message of hope and confidence in Arab youth."

We are 9 days away from the arrival of UAE's Hope probe to Mars in the first Arab interplanetary mission. The UAE will be the 5th nation to reach the Red Planet. The probe has a 50% success rate in entering Mars' orbit, but we achieved 90% of our goals in building new knowledge.

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 1, 2021

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said, "The Emirates Mars Mission embodies the aspirations that distinguish your country and reflects our leading status in the Arab and Islamic world. Through our journey to Mars, we will explore new horizons towards a better future."

The Hope probe’s complex manoeuvre on February 9 will be the most critical part of the mission that will see the spacecraft rapidly reducing its speed from 121,000 km/h to 18,000 km/h to enter Mars’ orbit.