HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday reviewed the final preparations of the Hope Probe, scheduled to launch to Mars on July 15.
The Emirates Mars Mission seeks to establish the UAE’s entry to the space industry, advance the country’s capabilities in space science and engineering and develop young Emirati and Arab talents capable of contributing to global efforts in space exploration.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The Hope Probe embodies the culture of possibilities deeply rooted in the UAE’s approach, philosophy and journey of accelerating development since the foundation. Our journey to space represents a message of hope to every Arab citizen that we have the innovation, resilience and efforts to compete with the greatest of nations in the race for knowledge.”
Prior to the launch, the Emirates Literature Foundation will host an online debate on the UAE’s Mars mission. Part of the Literary Conversations Across Borders series, the debate will be moderated live from Japan by Salem AlMarri, Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, MBRSC.
The debate will take place on Saturday, July 11, at 7:30 pm with HE Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State and Farouk El-Baz, NASA space scientist and geologist. They will be joined live from Kagoshima, Japan by Salem AlMarri, Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).
The speakers will assess what space exploration has taught mankind, and what life-changing advancement we can expect from the project, which is placing the UAE at the forefront of scientific discovery.
Farouk El-Baz is an Egyptian American space scientist and geologist. He worked with NASA in the scientific exploration of the moon and the planning of the Apollo programme and played a key role in the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Mission, as well as the later five Apollo missions. Salem AlMarri heads the UAE Astronaut Programme and oversees the MBRSC’s expansion into new scientific and technical fields alongside ensuring continuing developments in the space sector.
Commenting on the Mars mission, HE Zaki Nusseibeh said that the Hope Probe mission is a real leap forward in space exploration. “This mission places UAE as one of the world leaders in space exploration, which will be a wonderful inspiration to the young men and women of the UAE when considering their roles in the future. It should provide a major incentive for young Arab scientists to embark on a career in space engineering.”
The debate is the latest event in the Literary Conversations Across Borders series which uses a digital platform to host Emirati writers and commentators in live discussions with high profile experts from around the world on a variety of critical topics.
The inaugural event of Literary Conversations Across Borders saw more than 3,500 people from 46 countries register and able to tune in to the live event which also featured HE Zaki Nusseibeh in a debate with Indian politician Shashi Tharoor on how the events of 2020 will change the course of history.
There are eight sessions in this first Literary Conversations Across Borders series.
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