First Arab space mission to Mars launches from Japan

The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe dubbed “Hope”, blasted off from Japan yesterday in a bid to reveal more about the atmosphere of the Red Planet.

The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan on schedule at 6.58am local time.

The launch of the probe, known as “Al-Amal” in Arabic, had twice been delayed because of bad weather, but yesterday’s lift-off appeared smooth and successful.

Almost exactly one hour later, a live feed showed people applauding in the Japanese control room as the probe successfully detached.

“The launch vehicle trajectory was executed as planned and separation of the Hope spacecraft was confirmed,” rocket manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said.

In Dubai, the launch was met with rapturous excitement, with the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest skyscraper — lit up hours b efore lift-off with a symbolic 10-second countdown in anticipation.

“This mission is an important milestone for the UAE and the region,” the director of the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, said at a post-launch media conference in Japan.

The Emirati project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars this year from the US, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest.

In October, Mars will be a comparatively close 62.07 million kilometres from Earth, according to Nasa.

“Hope” is expected to enter Mars’ orbit by February, marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of the UAE.

Unlike the two other Mars ventures scheduled for this year, it will not land on the Red Planet, but instead orbit it for a whole Martian year, or 687 days.

Though the objective of the UAE’s mission is to provide a comprehensive image of the weather dynamics, the probe is a foundation for a much bigger goal — building a human settlement on Mars within the next 100 years. —