The "Probe of Hope" team at the Launch Center in Japan, and at the Operations Center at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, expressed their pride in being part of the mission to launch the first Arab probe to Mars, stressing that feelings of joy dominate them all with this great achievement.
They added that they “faced all challenges, especially transporting the probe to Japan, in light of the Corona pandemic, which prompted the transfer process before the planned time,” noting that rearranging the work schedule represented an additional challenge.
The leader of the Emirati team, Deputy Project Director and Director of the Probe Development Team at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, Eng. Suhail Butti Al Dhafari Al Muhairi, said: “We are working on the project with one team spirit, and with unlimited ambition, because (the Probe of Hope) confirms that we are able in the UAE and the Arab world to Realizing huge projects and important scientific leaps through vision and confidence in human capabilities, capabilities and energies.
Eng. Suhail joined the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center as a research engineer in the space systems development department, and worked on the development of payload electronics in «Dubai Sat-1», then he became a design engineer for payload electronics and systems, and he headed the payload electronics division, and worked on developing the imaging system And related systems in «Dubai Sat-2», then he became the head of the space system department, then he became the deputy director of the Emirates project for the exploration of Mars and head of the spacecraft division, and took charge of the technical design and development of spacecraft, in addition to engineering teams.
On the experience of working on the last stage before the launch of the "Probe of Hope", said the chief engineer of mechanical mechanical systems at the Space Projects Department at the UAE Space Agency, Mohamed Al Ameri: «The team consisting of eight members in Japan included multiple engineering disciplines and various skills. We used to meet every morning and share tasks on a daily schedule. Each of us works on a set of tasks according to the approach of diversity of responsibilities, which we trained and qualified to deal with a wide range of tasks in different specialties ».
Al-Amiri is the chief engineer of the mechanical space systems at the Space Projects Department at the UAE Space Agency, and works within the project team «Probe of Hope» to ensure the readiness of the systems and the spacecraft as a whole, and ensure its tolerance to the harsh launch environment.
"From the beginning of the project, work began on the designs of ground equipment, whether electrical or mechanical, starting with planning tests on the satellite, and passing through the environments the probe faces at various stages, such as The launch environment from vibrations and others, and the thermal environment in space (high and low), until the assembly and installation of the probe in coordination with the different teams ».
He added that «the project includes in its tests the earth station, the navigation team and the satellite, and the last stage is the testing of the earth stations, to ensure that the probe is able to communicate with the earth station naturally, with the ability to exchange data and coordinates, especially as the project puts within its goals the provision of information that it collects in Access to more than 200 scientific institutions and research centers ».
Eng. Omar Al Shehhi heads the merger and testing unit at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, and plans, develops and implements test procedures and plans for complex systems in the field of spacecraft development. Previously, Al Shehhi worked as an engineer in the Aviation Electronics division of Emirates Airlines.
"We work as one team and complement each other," said engineer Issa Hareb Al-Muhairi, responsible for the team's energy systems. My responsibilities included installing solar panels that collect renewable energy from the sun's rays and the batteries that store that energy, after testing their performance and their compatibility with the design and multiple options, which the task can do when the Mars orbit arrives, pointing out that the challenge lies in storing energy at "The probe reaches the orbit of the red planet, and begins to circle around it, as the sun will disappear at certain times, then the importance of the batteries will become apparent."
The engineer of mechanical and assembly systems, Ahmed Obaid Al Yamahi, confirmed: “I provided support to the team during the probe transfers. Upon arriving at Nagoya Airport in Japan, I was with the team in receiving and transporting it, where we worked to surround it with nitrogen gas to preserve the stability of the surrounding atmosphere and protect the multiple systems in it. ”He continued:“ (The probe of hope) relied on propellant because of its long journey. The opposite of many satellites orbiting the Earth’s orbit ».
The mechanical systems engineer for the probe, Mahmoud Al-Awadi, stated that he worked from the beginning in the structure design team for the probe that meets all the requirements and perceptions of the various departments scientifically and practically, and then began the process of installation and assembly, then moving to tests to ensure the safety of the probe and scientific devices on board, adding: "I also worked as a propulsion systems engineer with the team to supply the probe with fuel in Japan, and we conducted tests to ensure the safety and preparedness of the fuel tank and the safety, and the readiness of the propulsion system network of any leaks, because we use hydrogen as a fuel for the probe, which is a very sensitive material."
And the thermal systems engineer at the "Probe of Hope" project, Youssef Al Shehhi, considered that "the project's thermal systems are a challenge, because the probe will pass at high temperatures from the start of its launch and very cold when it reaches Mars, so we designed the thermal systems, and then tested them under the degrees of extreme cold and heat." Severe. ”
He continued: «After reaching the island of Tangashima, the duration of my mission did not exceed two weeks, but because of the pandemic (Corona) I decided to stay and support the team in receiving and transporting the probe, testing the devices to ensure their safety, and installing a thermal insulator that protects the probe from the space environment.
As for the ground support engineer, Muhammad Omran Al-Amri, who started work on the Hope Probe project at the end of 2016, he said: “While we were in Japan, we moved the probe after receiving it, and we installed mechanical equipment, then measured the weight and central mass of the probe before and after providing it with fuel to ensure its availability And also contributed to the processes of solar panel processing mechanically and the movement of its individual and folded properly in high and low heat, because the probe will go through two stages ».
Communications Systems Engineer and Director of the Communications System team for the probe, Khalifa Al Muhairi, explained: “Since 2016, I have worked within the probe communications design group to ensure the safety of communication throughout the journey between Earth and Mars, especially with the constant change of distance between the probe and the earth station. This is important to receive all information from the probe and send orders to it from the earth station, especially since the distance between the Earth's orbit and the planet Mars may include vast differences depending on the path.
Hiyam Al Balushi, the engineer of installation, assembly, testing and quality assurance, said: “I do not see that the value of the (Probe of Hope) project lies only in its being a project to explore a planet other than Earth. Rather, what the project represents indicates important indications that the Emirates The best incubator environment for young people and their aspirations, dreams and hopes. The "Probe of Hope" project, which is based on a group of enthusiastic and diligent youth of the country, achieved within a short period of this historic achievement. Our government provided all requirements for the youth of the country to achieve excellence in all fields. The project also represents an Emirati contribution to all mankind, with the information and data that it will enhance scientific research on the Red Planet.
The first engineer of the satellite operations unit and the navigational control official in the "Probe of Hope" project, Ahmed Wali, began working within the project since 2016, stressing that the "Probe of Hope" added to him and all his colleagues qualitative experiences, because the project focuses on the field of deep space and interplanetary flights , Which is different because the operations and controls are significantly different from the normal satellites.
The navigational control official and the leader of the engineering model development team for the "Probe of Hope" system, Engineer Ali Al-Suwaidi, pointed out that his role was to contribute to building and developing the engineering program for the project, which he joined since 2017, and it is the culmination of his specialization in space engineering, stressing that he gained important experiences in Ground control, development and construction of the probe, tests before launch of the mission, and probe control mechanisms after launch.
He added, “I consider myself one of the lucky ones in my work on the first Arab-Islamic probe launched from the UAE.”
The operations software developer in the "Probe of Hope" project, Engineer Hamad Al-Hazami said: "The challenge of moving from the academic field to the practical field was a big addition to work in the field of space. This is my first task in this vital field after my specialization in computer engineering, and this in itself An achievement to which cooperation with the project team works in all tasks is added, adding: “I am proud to be part of this mission that starts from the UAE as the first Arab-Islamic probe to Mars, and I hope that this project will be a good omen for us and the homeland in the coming stages.”
The mission director of mission operations in the “Probe of Hope” project, Engineer Majid Al-Loghani, indicated that he will work within the team to manage the probe’s operations, to ensure its safety and the correctness of all operations from Earth to Mars, in addition to following up the scientific stage, and continuing to take scientific photos and send them to the earth station With coordination between control and planning teams and engineers, stressing that «the project is a major challenge as it is launched towards a second planet, as programming tasks for sending missions and receiving information from the probe differ, but our arrival to this stage is a pride for all of us.
On the experience of his participation in the “Probe of Hope” project, a systems engineer at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center and the leader of the mission design and navigation team in the deep space of the probe’s mission, Omar Abdel Rahman Hussein said: “This is a whole new field for us, and it gave us the ability to see the full and comprehensive picture in The various tasks of space exploration, and working with the team have given us an irreplaceable opportunity, ”he said.“ I had a telescope from a young age, and I was looking at scientific encyclopedias and looking for planets. During my academic studies, I met colleagues who are today among our national cadres in the space sector, and I was inspired to speak with them to enter this sector, so I joined the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center. ”
Implementing the vision of the state
“My father has always been telling me about the race to space and the moon in the last century, until the field opened up for me to join the project and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center,” said Eng. Mohammed Al Balushi, the agency’s head of space operations and the navigational control officer of the probe’s earth station. My father and I are still talking about space and its promising future potential for the national space industry. ”He continued:“ This project is an implementation of the vision of the leadership of the country, and I am delighted to participate with my colleagues in the Emirates Project team to explore Mars, and the earth station crew in developing the science, technology and space sector in the UAE ».
Earth station software development
"My mission before launch was to lead the development of earth station software, including design, development and testing, and I also worked on developing the infrastructure of the Operations Center and verifying its readiness for a period of time," said engineer Mahmoud Al Nasser. After launching the probe, we will work as a team to ensure that all procedures for sending orders and communicating with the probe are implemented, and preparing reports on the periods of communication with the probe according to the plan to ensure the achievement of the goal, after we benefited a lot from this project. We wish success to the mission in which the team made every effort. ”
A group of enthusiastic and diligent youth of the country, achieved within a short period of time a historic achievement.
The “probe” confirms that we are able to accomplish huge projects and important scientific leaps.
The team faced many challenges, especially the transportation of the probe to Japan, in light of the Corona pandemic.