Hope Probe engineering team: We have only one chance to successfully enter Mars orbit

While the countdown to the arrival of the "Hope Probe" to the capture orbit around Mars, scheduled for the ninth of February at 7:42 pm UAE time, the engineering team for the operations of the probe, which includes a constellation of young Emirati cadres, has made the necessary preparations for this historic moment that comes at the culmination of seven years From the scientific and logistical efforts to accomplish the UAE project to explore Mars.

In a media briefing organized by the Emirates Mars Exploration Project "Probe of Hope" in the presence of representatives of the media, newspapers and local and regional news sites, the engineering team confirmed that its tasks are multiple, but their goal is one, which is the successful arrival of the probe to Mars orbit, in preparation for the start of its Mars mission with historically unprecedented goals.

This media briefing was organized today at the headquarters of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Al Khawaneej in Dubai, in cooperation with the UAE government media office, to shed light on the latest developments in the UAE project to explore Mars, "The Probe of Hope", with a focus on the remaining stages of the historic journey of the probe. It is the first Arab mission to explore Mars.

In the briefing, which witnessed an intense media presence, the Director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project "The Hope Probe", Eng. Omran Sharaf, the Deputy Project Director for Probe Development Affairs, Eng. Suhail Al Dhafri, the Control System Engineer and Control Systems Team Leader, Eng. Ibrahim Abdullah Al Madfa, and the Engineering Model Engineer, Eng. Ali Juma Al Suwaidi.

Engineer Imran Sharaf said: We have only one opportunity to enter the Hope Probe into Mars orbit on February 9 at 7:42 minutes UAE time.

He explained that the stage of entering the orbit of Mars is completely different from the launch stage, as we had a launch window that extended to three weeks, and we could postpone and try again as it actually happened, as the missile carrying the probe was scheduled to be launched on July 15, 2020 and was postponed due to weather conditions. Unfavorable until the twentieth day of July, after which the launch was successfully completed.

He added, "But in the stage of entering the capture orbit around Mars, if we are unable to slow the probe's speed to the required level and enter it into the orbit in the correct direction, we may - God forbid - we completely lose the probe, either by straying into deep space or it may collide with the surface of Mars."

For his part, Deputy Project Manager for Probe Development Affairs, Eng. Suhail Al-Dhafri, said that the responsibilities of the engineering team for the Al-Amal probe are multiple, and they included design, manufacture, installation, integration and inspection upon the start of the project implementation, and include the power, navigation, computer, software and propulsion systems of the probe.

He added that the engineering team of the Hope Probe was the one who undertook the process of modifying the design of the probe, as the initial design included three solar panels, which were later modified into only two panels, which is the current design of the probe that is close to the orbit of Mars.

For his part, the engineer of the control system and the leader of the control systems team, Eng. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Madfaa, said that the probe software performs a major task in the stage of entering the orbit of Mars, as this process is carried out independently and independently by the probe that has been programmed precisely from the beginning to perform it, as it executes orders And maneuvers to enter orbit accurately and with a specific time, and this programming has been confirmed and examined more than once before launch.

In turn, the engineer of the engineering model, Ali Jumaa Al-Suwaidi, explained that the team of the Al-Amal probe relies on the Star Tracker to locate the probe, where the device takes pictures of the stars, analyzes them and compares them to a huge database, through which the location of the probe is known.

The Hope Probe is a national project that translates the vision of the UAE leadership to build an Emirati space program that reflects the state’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation and partnership frameworks with the aim of finding solutions to global challenges for the good of humanity.

The Hope Probe, which is the first Arab project to explore other planets, carries a message of hope to all the peoples of the region to revive the history full of Arab and Islamic achievements in science and embodies the ambition of the UAE and its leadership’s continuous endeavor to challenge and overcome the impossible and establish this trend as a firm value in the identity of the country and the culture of its people. It is also an Emirati contribution. In shaping and making a promising future for humanity.

The Hope probe is expected to reach the orbit of Mars on February 9, 2021, in conjunction with the UAE's celebrations of its golden jubilee and the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the union in 1971.

Imran Sharaf - who is the director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center .. - with his team is responsible for developing, launching and operating the Hope Probe, the project's spacecraft.

Omran started his work on the project from developing the initial concept through developing the necessary capabilities and partnerships at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, with the Foundation moving with him from focusing on satellites dedicated to Earth observation, to developing planetary exploration missions.

Omran began his career as an experienced engineer specializing in electronics and systems, and trained in the United States and Korea, where he was responsible for developing and implementing the control and data processing subsystem for the high-resolution imaging satellite in low-Earth orbit Dubai SAT-1, and supervised the development of the control and data processing subsystem. The payload electronics subsystem of the Dubai Sat-2 satellite, in addition to his work as a systems engineer on the project.

Prior to joining the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, Omran held the position of Senior Director in the Program Development Department at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, and was responsible for identifying new strategic programs, the Project Management Office, and verifying product functionality and the mission project at the center.

Imran holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia, USA in 2005, and a master's degree in science and technology policies from the International Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea in 2013.

While Suhail Al Dhafri joined the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center shortly after its establishment under the name of the Emirates Institute for Advanced Sciences in 2006 as a research engineer in the Space Systems Development Department, and worked on developing cargo electronics in Dubai SAT-1, to become afterward a design engineer for cargo systems and electronics. Then, in 2008, he headed the payload electronics department and worked on developing the imaging system and associated systems in Dubai SAT-2.

He became the Head of the Space System Department in 2013, and managed four engineering units “Systems Engineering; Mechanical Manufacturing; Assembly and Integration; and Electronics Manufacturing" all of which worked on the development of KhalifaSat.

In 2014, he became deputy director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project and head of the Spacecraft Division, and took responsibility for the technical design and development of spacecraft, as well as the engineering teams.

Suhail Al Dhafri received a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the American University of Sharjah in 2006 and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering / space systems / from Daejeon University in South Korea in 2013.

Ali Jumaa Al-Suwaidi joined the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in January 2017, to work in the Systems Engineering Unit, which focused on the UAE project to explore Mars.

Al Suwaidi is responsible for spacecraft integration and testing, tracking errors and leading the assembly, integration and testing process for the FlatSat platform in the Hope probe. Bin Rashid Space in Dubai.

In addition to his responsibility for subsystem integration, Al Suwaidi also oversees the testing of spacecraft subsystems in an integrated manner.

Al Suwaidi graduated from Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research in the United Arab Emirates, holding a Bachelor's degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, and Engineering Management from the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA.

Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Midfa joined the "Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center" when the center was called the Emirates Institute for Science and Advanced Technology, in 2010 as a research engineer in the Space Systems Development Department .. Ibrahim worked on developing flight software for the Dubai Sat satellite. 2 "Focused mainly on software testing.

In 2013, Ibrahim held various positions at KhalifaSat including aviation software development, software development embedded in the operator interface board to control the interaction wheels as well as working within the assembly and testing integration team that was responsible for the assembly and testing integration tasks of the Khalifa Sat satellite and preparation. Satellite to launch.

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