The United Arab Emirates entered history with an unprecedented space achievement at the level of the Arab world, which it achieved at dawn today with the successful launch of the "Probe of Hope" within the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, to be the first space mission to explore the planets led by an Arab country.
The Hope probe successfully detached from the launch missile, and the first signal from the probe was received at the Al Khawaneej Control Center. The probe also received the first order from the Al Khawaneej ground control station to open solar panels, operate space navigation systems and launch missile propulsion systems, effectively marking the beginning of the probe's journey to the Red Planet, which is expected to last seven months, traveling through a distance of 493 million km, before it enters into its orbit About Mars in the first quarter of the year 2021, coinciding with the UAE's celebration of the Golden Jubilee of its founding.
The successful launch of the Probe of Hope took place at dawn today, July 20 at 01:58 am Emirates time, after the countdown was repeated, in the last ten seconds before the launch, from the Arabic Language Control Center for the first time in the history of missions and space missions, to reach the echo of the Arabic numerals in the whole world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God bless him, said: “The UAE is entering history with an unprecedented Arab space achievement.” His Highness pointed out that “betting on UAE youth does not disappoint… they raised the heads of a people The UAE has entered a new stage in our history. "
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum added: "The journey has begun ... and the mission is at its beginning ... and the next stop is the Red Planet," stressing His Highness by saying: "Exit from the field of gravity is entering a new stage in the history of our scientific achievements."
For his part, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, stressed that the UAE established itself as one of the makers of the future and anticipated its challenges, adding, His Highness: “I congratulate the people of the UAE on this historic achievement .. Our global position is getting stronger and stronger Thanks to the people of the homeland. "
His Highness said: "The success of the launch towards Mars culminates in five decades of accomplishments made by the UAE in various fields ... indicating that our homeland reaps today what the founding fathers planted in investing and empowering the Emirati cadres with whom we compete with the world.
His Highness concluded: "The UAE is winning the bet ... and its people are proving their ability to achieve the impossible ... and the next one, God willing, is better."
The launch of the Hope Probe mission ..
The Emirati "Hope Probe" carried the H2A launch missile from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which weighs 289 tons and is 53 meters long.
In the first stage of launch, the solid fuel propellant raised the missile after detaching from the launch pad, before this part automatically separated after completing its mission with the effect of gravity and the missile's exit from Earth's orbit.
With the separation of this part, the weight of the probe rocket decreased, to begin a period of zero gravity, and then the second part of the launch rocket was separated, to start the second stage until the probe of hope reached its correct orbit around Mars, loaded on the third part of the launch missile.
The Hope probe was successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 01:58 am today, as the probe separated from the launch missile after less than an hour, specifically at 02:55 am, so that the probe will operate automatically, and open the solar panels at 03:00 : 00 am, before the panels are cocked with the probe toward the sun.
The first broadcast signal from the Hope probe was recorded at 03:10 am Emirates time after the probe turned on its broadcast device, and then the Al Khawaneej Control Center began receiving the first data that the probe sent after about an hour from the launch, and the work team at the center analyzed This data is preliminary to confirm the state of the probe and the position of the solar panels, and whether they have opened correctly completely, as well as verify that the probe is correctly aimed towards the sun.
The initial analysis of the data received from the probe took about half an hour, and accordingly, orders were sent to the probe from the control center, according to which the probe actually moved to the operations stage.
The Al Khawaneej Control Center team monitored the processes, data, and coordinates of the probe’s condition to ensure that the main probe’s operating system is sound, as well as verify the integrity of subsystems and scientific devices.
The control center will be in contact with the probe for a continuous 24 hours, during which orders are sent to it and data received from it, and the continuous monitoring and monitoring process will continue from one to two weeks in the beginning to ensure that the probe is performing its tasks accurately.
The separation of the probe from the launch missile is an important step and a great incentive for the team to do more during the next stage, as the probe's mission to explore Mars translates the country’s emblem carried by the probe in its historic space flight, "nothing impossible."
** Preparation and launch stages ..
Since arriving at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan last April after an 83-hour journey by land, sea and air, the "Probe of Hope" has undergone high-precision testing and processing operations for launch, which included filling the fuel tank for the first time with about 800 kg of hydrogen fuel and checking the fuel tank and making sure Absence of any leaks, in addition to testing the communication and control devices, moving the probe to the launch pad, installing the probe on the missile that will carry it into space, and charging the probe batteries for the last time. Final tests also included examination of the power system, communication system, navigation system, control system, propulsion and driving system, thermal system and software systems.
The launch of the "Probe of Hope" was preceded by three basic processing stages. The first stage of removing the exploration camera cover consisted of before the missile was installed on the launch pad, and the second stage involved moving the missile carrying the probe to the launch platform, which is a complex and delicate process, which took about half an hour, and necessitated the separation of the ground control equipment from the probe temporarily, so that it was re- Activate this equipment when he reaches the platform.
The third processing stage was represented in the final preparations 18 hours before the launch of the probe, which included the withdrawal of nitrogen gas for maintaining the safety of the devices, and clean air in the combustion chamber of the missile, followed by an examination of the status of the batteries and the state of the probe, as well as making sure the team is ready in the operating room before Three hours after launch, with the probe checking going on five minutes before launch.
The launch of the probe consists of three phases, where the first phase began technically with the countdown to launch the probe, through the probe's separation from the missile, the probe start by opening its solar panels and making its first contact with the earth station at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Al Khawaneej.
In the first stage of launch, the solid fuel impeller raises the missile after separating it from the launching platform, before this part automatically separates after completing its mission with the effect of gravity and the start of the rocket's departure from the Earth's orbit, and by separating this part the weight of the missile carrying the probe is reduced. To begin the period of zero gravity, the second part of the launch missile will separate.
And then begins the second stage of the launch process, until the probe of hope reaches its correct orbit around Mars, loaded on the third part of the launch rocket.
Flight of the probe.
And the journey of the probe of hope to Mars will take seven months, so that the orbit of the red planet is expected to reach in February 2021, coinciding with the passage of fifty years since the establishment of the Federation of the Emirates.
The launch of the probe, Hope, was postponed twice due to unstable weather conditions in Japan, so that at dawn today, July 20, an ideal date will be chosen to move forward with the process, before closing the available closing window until August 3, 2020.
The separation of the probe from the missile is an important qualitative step in the efforts of a large team comprising more than 200 qualified engineers and engineers from the Emirati cadres. During the last three months, the probe team representing the Emirates Space Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center distributed between the launch center in Japan and the Al Khawaneej ground control station in Dubai, where the team was able to complete all final tests and scientific follow-up related to the probe on time, with acceleration Work on the project in recent months, to overcome the technical and logistical challenges posed by the emerging epidemic of the Corona virus (Covid-19) in the world.
The probe will remain in the orbit of Mars, a Martian year, which is equivalent to 687 days, as it will undertake a scientific mission, the first of its kind in the world, by providing the first comprehensive picture of the climatic conditions on Mars throughout the year, along with researching the causes of the fading of the upper layer of the atmosphere For Mars, investigating the relationship between the lower and upper atmosphere layers on Mars, observing atmospheric phenomena on the surface of Mars, including monitoring dust storms, temperature changes, revealing the reasons behind the erosion of the Martian surface, and searching for any relationships between current weather and climatic conditions In the past for the Red Planet.
The scientific data collected by the Hope Probe will be deposited in a center of scientific data in the Emirates so that the Emirati scientific team indexes and analyzes these data, and shares them free of charge with the worlds and specialized researchers around the world.
** Scientific wealth ..
In addition to the interim qualitative achievements of the Emirates project team to explore Mars, "the probe of hope", which included in recent months the transfer of the probe successfully on a journey that took 83 hours by land, air and sea from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center to the launch station on Tanegashima Island, Japan, and then equipped with high efficiency to launch, The achievements of the UAE scientific team within the probe include the development of 200 new scientific technological designs, the manufacture of 66 pieces of its components in the UAE, in addition to the publication of 51 specialized scientific research and a working paper, in addition to 60 thousand participants benefiting from scientific and educational programs to introduce the mission of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project.
According to the schedule specified within the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, the probe’s journey to the Red Planet will take seven months, during which it will travel 493 million km. The "Probe of Hope" is expected to reach the orbit of the Red Planet in February 2021. The probe will remain in the orbit of Mars for a full Martian year, equivalent to 687 days. The probe will collect important data, which constitutes an unprecedented scientific wealth, so that it provides the first comprehensive and complete picture of the climatic conditions on Mars throughout the year, and how the atmosphere will change during the periods of the day and between seasons of the year, and weather phenomena will be monitored on the surface of Mars, temperature changes, The climate patterns vary according to its varied topography. The causes behind the surface erosion of Mars will be revealed.
The Hope Probe will collect this huge data on Mars and deposit it in a scientific data center in the United Arab Emirates through a number of ground receiving stations spread around the world. The scientific team of the project in the Emirates will index and analyze this data so that it will be open and free sharing with the scientific community in order to serve human knowledge.
The Hope Probe has three devices: Emirates Exploration Imager [EXI]: It is a digital camera that takes images of Mars in high resolution and measures ice and ozone in the lower layer of the atmosphere using ultraviolet beams and the infrared spectroscopy EMIRS, and is used to measure distribution General for dust, cloudiness, ice and water vapor in the lower atmosphere of the Martian atmosphere.
This device is optimized to capture the integrated dynamic factors in the lower middle layer of the atmosphere over the Martian hemisphere in addition to the EMUS ultraviolet spectroscopy that measures oxygen and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, and the diversity of hydrogen and oxygen in the upper layer of the red planet's atmosphere.
The data collected will help find answers to key questions about the climate of Mars and the loss of hydrogen gas and oxygen in space within one Martian year.
It is noteworthy that the "probe of hope" translates the vision of the UAE seeking to build an Emirati space program that reflects the country's commitment to strengthening the frameworks of international cooperation and partnership in order to find solutions to global challenges that benefit humanity.
The "Probe of Hope", which is the first Arab project to explore other planets, carries a message of hope for all the peoples of the region to revive a history rich in Arab achievements in science and embodies the aspiration of the UAE and the continued drive of the UAE to challenge the impossible and overcome it and consolidate this trend. Building a promising future for humanity.