It forms a major stop on his journey to the Red Planet

The Hope Probe successfully completes the first route guidance operations

  • The launch efficiency of the Hope Probe contributed to its positioning closer to the final trajectory. Archives

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The Emirates Mars Exploration Project announced yesterday that the first successful guidance operations for the "Probe of Hope" track have been completed, which are part of a series of trajectory guidance maneuvers, and constitute a major and important station in the probe's seven-month journey to the Red Planet.

This trajectory directing was the first operation of its kind for the Hope Probe's six thrusters in this important operation, which has now placed the probe in its direct path toward Mars.

The project manager, Eng. Omran Sharaf, confirmed that the outstanding performance of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, with unlimited support from the leadership, put the Hope Probe on the right track towards achieving the goal of reaching the Red Planet, to carry out its scientific mission and enrich the global scientific community with new scientific information and data, noting that every challenge The mission succeeds in overcoming it, an unprecedented achievement by the project team and its supporters, the space sector and its national strategy, and an additional step towards achieving its ambitious goals.

"The success of the process of directing the first path of the Hope probe is an important milestone for us, as it is the first in which the propulsion system of the probe works in space, and because it determines the final path of the probe towards Mars," he said.

After the successful launch of the Hope Probe from the launch pad on the southern Japanese island of Tangashima on July 20, the team planned to implement seven guidance operations for the probe's trajectory on its 493 million km journey to Mars, but the efficiency of the launch and the probe's initial operations contributed to putting the probe in more trajectory. Close to the final track.

Sharaf said, "The results of the launch of the Hope probe exceeded our expectations, as it is now on its path in the required direction to reach the orbit of Mars, and it requires us to do less than we had previously planned in terms of modifications to its path." In compliance with international standards for planetary protection, space missions to Mars and other planets are initially launched away from the path that leads directly to the planet, with the aim of giving the opportunity to conduct tests that confirm the safety of the spacecraft's operations before changing its course towards its final destination, in order to ensure that the risks of its crash are neutralized. The surface of the target planet, and it protects it from any pollutants originating from the planet, and therefore the path adjustments are performed at a later stage of the launch of the probe during its journey in outer space.

The Hope probe is expected to reach Mars orbit next February, coinciding with the golden jubilee of the founding of the UAE federation, to paint an integrated picture of the climate of the Red Planet over a Martian year.

The Emirates Mars Exploration Project (The Hope Probe) represents the culmination of the steps of transferring knowledge, innovation and development that have been launched since 2006 in the country, and witnessed the work of Emirati cadres and engineers with scientific partners in the fields of design, engineering and space manufacturing, and a continuation of concerted efforts in order to create quality economic opportunities and establish a pioneering position The UAE has a strong interest in space science, research and exploration, as well as the consolidation of hope, positivity, self-belief and the ability to actively contribute to the march of human knowledge among Arab youth.

The UAE mission to explore Mars is part of an integrated effort to create an economic opportunity around leadership in space science, research and outer space exploration.

A study of the Martian atmosphere

The Hope Probe carries three instruments to measure and study the atmosphere of Mars, and weigh about 1,350 kilograms, the size of a small car. It was designed and built by the engineers of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, in cooperation with knowledge transfer partners: the University of Colorado at Boulder "Space and Atmospheric Physics Laboratory", the University of California at Berkeley "Space Science Laboratories", and Arizona State University "College of Earth and Space Exploration."

The probe will contribute to a deeper understanding of climate changes in the Martian atmosphere by collecting data throughout the day and comparing them with each other, and the probe will also make some measurements that help to understand the nature of weather in both its lower and middle layers. It will also contribute to the formation of the first integrated picture of the Martian atmosphere, which will be provided to the global scientific community in more than 200 academic and research institutions.

• The Hope probe is heading in the required direction to reach the orbit of Mars.

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