The Emirates Mars Mission, the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, has announced that its Mars Hope Probe would be launched on July 15 at 00:51:27 UAE time (05:51:27, Japan time) from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre.
The scheduled launch date represents the opening of the launch window for the Emirates Mars Mission, which extends to August 13. The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI H2A) platform was chosen for the launch as a result of its high success rates in launching spacecraft and satellites globally. The UAE has previously collaborated with MHI to successfully launch the Khalifa Sat satellite.
The journey of moving the Hope Probe from Dubai to the launch site on Tanegashima Island in Japan spanned more than 83 hours and underwent three major stages.
Since its successful arrival at TNSC in Japan, the Hope Probe has undergone detailed processing operations for the launch. This process completed over 50 working days, entails filling the fuel tank with about 700kg of hydrogen fuel and ensuring there are no leaks.
The process also requires testing the communication and control devices, moving the probe to the launch pad, installing the probe on the rocket that will carry it to space, and ensuring the probe batteries are fully charged.
A team of Emirati nationals is leading the operation and supervising every aspect of the probe’s preparation for its launch. The team includes Omran Sharaf Al Hashemi, Project Manager of the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe, Suhail Al Dhafari Al Muhairi, Deputy Project Manager of the Probe Development Team, Omar Al Shehhi, leader of the team responsible for transferring the Probe from Japan Airport to Tanegashima island, Mohsen Al-Awadhi, responsible for the transportation of the Probe, Youssef Al-Shehhi, Thermal Systems Engineer, Khalifa Al-Muhairi, Communication Systems Engineer, Issa Al-Muhairi, Power Systems Engineer, Ahmed Al-Yamahi, Mechanical Systems Engineer, Mahmoud Al-Awadhi Mechanical Systems Engineer, and Mohammed Al-Amri Engineer Ground support systems.
Omar Al Shehhi will also be part of the core team overseeing the launch of the probe into space via the H-IIA H2A missile.
Commenting on the development, HH Sarah Bint Youssef Al-Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and Emirates Mars Mission Deputy Project Manager, said: “The challenges overcome by the Hope Probe team amidst the global pandemic confirm the UAE mission’s commitment to achieving the impossible. It is a mentality that has now been embedded within the current and future generations. This mission embodies the nation’s aspirations, sends a positive message to the world and demonstrates the importance of carrying on unabated despite barriers and challenges.”
She continued: “Our team continues to work diligently to ensure the mission’s success, and we look forward to collectively celebrate the arrival of the probe on Mars in February 2021 – also coinciding with our 50-year anniversary”.
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