The Emirates Space Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center announced that the "Probe of Hope" will be launched into space as planned, in mid-July, to carry out the first Arab and Islamic space mission to explore Mars, after the successful completion of the transportation of the probe from Dubai to the location of It launched into space from the space station on Tanegashima Island in Japan, in implementation of the plans of the Emirates project to explore Mars.
According to a joint press statement, the successful completion of the probe transfers came after overcoming the current challenges arising from the emerging Corona epidemic (Covid-19) globally, and the unprecedented measures that resulted, including the complete closure of many cities and countries around the world.
The continuation of the executive plans of the Emirates project to explore Mars is an additional message for the probe of hope, which will carry to the emirate the emblem of the UAE «nothing impossible», stating that the challenges resulting from the emerging corona virus must not stop humanity’s plans to move forward towards further scientific progress in all fields, Especially space science, considering that scientific progress is the bulwark of humankind to overcome epidemics.
According to the statement, the flight of the probe from Dubai to the launch site for space on Tanegashima Island went through three main stages, which necessitated activating the provision of integrated logistical conditions, to ensure the optimal completion of the transfer.
The first stage included the transfer of the probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center to Al Maktoum International Airport, the second was transported by a giant cargo plane, "Antenov", which is the largest in the world to the Japanese "Nagoya" airport, and the third was transported by land and sea to the space station on the island of Tanegashima »Japan.
In light of the challenges resulting from the outbreak of the new Corona virus, the probe team adopted the best global health measures in place to preserve the health and safety of the work team, and the team accompanying the probe on its trip to Japan, in addition to a third team that had traveled earlier, and underwent quarantine procedures in Japan, to receive the probe upon arrival, to oversee its transport to the launch station into space.
The probe is scheduled to depart on Mars in mid-July from the Tanegashima Space Center using the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI H2A) platform, and is expected to reach the red planet's orbit in the first quarter of February 2021.