2015 EMIRATES MARS MISSION PROBE
Name: Hope or Al Amal in
Arabic Launch date: July 2020 Why the launch date is
crucial: The Earth and Mars align only once in two years.
Cruising distance: More than 60 million kilometres.
Cruising time: 200 days (approximately)
Mars orbit insertion):
First quarter of 2021
Technical specifications Weight: 1,500kg Data bandwidth: 1.6mbps. Dimensions: 2.37 metres wide, 2.90 metres tall (excluding solar panels)
Navigation: Star trackers, sun sensors
Structure: Aluminium frame with lightweight aluminium honeycomb panels
Science instruments: Imager: A digital camera that will send back highresolution colour images. Infra-Red Spectrometer: Will examine temperature patterns, ice, water vapour and dust in the atmosphere.
Ultraviolet Spectrometer: Will study upper atmosphere and traces of oxygen and hydrogen further out into space.
The Team: Mars Mission is managed in the UAE by an Emirati team divided into seven groups — Spacecraft, Logistics, Mission Operation, Project Science Education and Outreach, Ground Station, and Launch Vehicle. The 75-strong team will build a core capability to develop and share the UAE’s space knowledge base.