A year for the successful launch of the Hope Probe.

The Emirates Mars exploration project, "Probe of Hope", celebrates tomorrow the one-year anniversary of the successful launch of the probe aboard the "H2A" rocket to its historic flight from the Japanese Tengashima base on July 20, 2020, at a time when the "Hope Probe" continues to orbit the red planet. Currently, his scientific mission is to collect information and data that mankind has not previously reached.

Since its launch on its historic journey to explore the Red Planet, the "Hope Probe" has traveled more than 1,150,000 km, including the distance between Earth and Mars' orbit of 493 million km, in addition to its orbit around Mars a full cycle every 55 hours, since its arrival in orbit.

The 20th of July 2020 represents a luminous station in the history of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "Probe of Hope", as it embodies the magnitude of the challenges that the project team was able to successfully overcome to complete the launch on time, especially since the process of transferring the probe from Dubai to the launch station in Japan took place in The “great closure” and the suspension of air traffic that the world witnessed remained as part of a package of precautionary measures to combat the global outbreak of the emerging Corona Virus “Covid 19” pandemic.

This day also marks a historical moment represented by the launch of the first planetary exploration mission led by an Arab country, to become the UAE later, specifically on February 9, 2021, the fifth country in the world to successfully reach the orbit of Mars, thus crowning more than 7 years of hard work. And the dedication to the work team that continued day and night and raced ahead of time in order to achieve this historic scientific and space achievement.

National occasion.

Sarah Bint Youssef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and President of the UAE Space Agency, said: "The 20th of July 2020 is an important milestone in the UAE's scientific and space progress, when the Hope probe was launched into space, successfully overcoming all the challenges that faced the project thanks to the dedication and perseverance of the work team. And the one-year anniversary of the probe’s launch into space coincides with the successive scientific achievements of the probe by sending valuable and unprecedented data and information about the Red Planet, in implementation of its scientific mission, which continues until May 2023.

She stressed that the Emirates project to explore Mars, the "Hope Probe", enhances the position of the UAE in the global scientific community as a knowledge-producing country, because the probe will provide the world with a complete picture of the climate, weather and atmosphere of Mars, which is information that man has not reached before, and answers many questions that puzzled Scientists are about the secrets of turning Mars into a dry and harsh climate, as it is currently, despite the presence of traces of water on its surface.

She explained that the project, and the unprecedented scientific data it will provide, which will be shared free of charge with the global scientific community, will enhance the UAE's position as a country open to cooperation and partnership with various countries of the world for the good and progress of humanity.

illuminated station.

For his part, Hamad Al-Mansoori, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, said that the 20th of July 2020 marks a defining moment in the history of the national space sector in the UAE, when the team of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "Probe of Hope", was able to successfully launch the probe on its journey. Historic, bypassing all challenges and transforming the culture of challenging the impossible that the wise leadership is keen to instill in the minds and conscience of the people of the country into a reality and tangible action.

He added: "The UAE, since the launch of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "Probe of Hope", has managed to strengthen its position regionally and globally in the space sector, becoming the fifth country in the world to reach the Red Planet, and to be the first Arab and Islamic country to achieve this historic achievement." Thanks and gratitude to the work team that continues its dedication and hard work to achieve the scientific goals of the project.

Years of hard work.

In turn, the Director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project "Probe of Hope", Engineer Imran Sharaf Omran Sharaf, said that the celebration of the one-year anniversary of the historic launch of the probe on its space journey culminates in years of tireless and dedicated work of the project team of national cadres in partnership and cooperation with international partners for this ambitious project, which is a contribution A quality of the UAE in the process of scientific progress for humanity as it provides unprecedented information about the Red Planet.

He said that the probe is currently continuing its scientific mission in the orbit of Mars, which officially began last May, and the unique elliptical orbit of the Hope probe, at an angle of 25 degrees, allows collecting a batch of data and high-resolution images of the planet's atmosphere every 225 hours, or 9.5 days, noting that the probe, which It currently revolves around Mars once every 55 hours. It has traveled about one billion and 150 million kilometers since the beginning of the scientific stage until today, of which about 493 million kilometers traveled between the planet Earth and the orbit of Mars.

An idea in Sir Bani Yas.

The Emirates Mars exploration project, "Probe of Hope", began as an idea that was put forward at the government retreat in 2013 on Sir Bani Yas Island, among other ideas to celebrate in a distinctive way the 50th National Day of the country in 2021.

On the sixteenth of July 2014, sending a probe to explore Mars turned from an idea that was subject to careful study and planning into a strategic national initiative announced by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, "may God protect him" and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the State Ministers and Ruler of Dubai "may God protect him" under the name of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project.

The name "Probe of Hope" was chosen to be a message of hope from the UAE to the youth and peoples of the region and the world.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center was assigned to manage and implement all phases of the project, while the UAE Space Agency took over the general supervision of the project, which is the result of close cooperation between a team of Emirati scientists, researchers, engineers and international knowledge partners from around the world to develop the capabilities necessary to design and engineer such a precise type. of space missions.

The work on designing, implementing and building the probe continued for 6 years, and was completed in February 2020, which is half the usual period in this type of project, which ranges between 10 to 12 years, and this was done with high efficiency and in record time until the probe was launched in a time that allows it By reaching the orbit of Mars within the "launch window", which is determined according to high-accuracy scientific and astronomical calculations, allowing the probe to reach the orbit of Mars in the shortest possible time.

The project was also completed at half the normal cost of other scientific projects to Mars, where the cost amounted to $200 million, and is considered among the lowest in the world compared to similar missions and projects, thanks to the efforts of the national engineering, research and scientific cadres.

Overcome the challenges of Corona.

In April 2020, the project team was able to overcome the challenges caused by the global outbreak of the Corona pandemic, and succeeded in transferring the probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai to the launch base in Tanagashima, Japan, on a journey that lasted more than 83 hours by land, air and sea.

Immediately upon his arrival and after ensuring the safety of the probe and the scientific equipment it carried, the work team began preparing the probe for launch, and this process took 50 working days.

The challenges faced by the team of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "Probe of Hope", did not end with its success in transporting the probe and preparing it for launch, as new challenges appeared related to weather conditions at the launch base, and as a result, the launch of the probe, which was scheduled for the morning of July 15, 2020, was postponed due to the circumstances. Inappropriate weather so that the work team reschedules the date within the "launch window" from July 15 to August 3.

The first countdown in Arabic.

On July 20, 2020, the launch took place successfully at 01:58 am UAE time.

For the first time in the history of space missions for space exploration, the countdown is echoed in Arabic, amid intense follow-up by the local, regional and international media.

Over the next seven months, the Hope probe traveled 493 million kilometers, and during this flight the team carried out several successful operations to direct the probe’s path, which passed through six stages during this trip, in addition to the launch stage: early operations, navigation in space, and entry to Mars, the transition to the scientific stage, the scientific stage.

On November 8, 2020, the Hope Probe team successfully completed the third and final trajectory maneuver, to accurately determine the date of the probe's arrival to Mars orbit on February 9, 2021 at 7:42 pm UAE time.

On schedule, the probe successfully entered the orbit of Mars, making the UAE the fifth country in the world to achieve this historic achievement, and the first to reach the Red Planet during 2021, before two similar missions launched into space simultaneously with the "Hope Probe" mission, led by China and the United States.

The probe carries on board three devices: an exploration camera to capture high-resolution color digital images of the planet and to measure ice and ozone in the lower atmosphere.

and an infrared spectrophotometer to measure temperatures and the distribution of dust, water vapor, and ice clouds in the lower atmosphere.

UV spectrophotometers measure oxygen and carbon monoxide in the thermal layer and hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere.

The orbit chosen by the Hope Probe team is very innovative and unique, and will allow the Hope probe to provide the global scientific community with the first integrated picture of the atmosphere and weather of Mars 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The first picture.

On February 14, 2021, the first image taken by the Hope probe was published while it was in the orbit of Mars for the red planet, according to the established time plans, marking the beginning of the stage of collecting 1,000 gigabytes of new data on Mars.

Millions of people in the UAE, the Arab world and the world followed this picture with passion, which will be immortalized in history books as the first pictures taken by an Arab probe that reaches the farthest point in the universe, and the first picture of Mars with modern and innovative scientific devices managed and operated by Emirati Arab national competencies within the mission "Probe". Hope" is the key to providing information, data and images about the atmosphere of Mars.

The reception and publication of the first image of the red planet by the team of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project "Hope Probe" was evidence of the efficiency and quality of the probe, its sub-systems and scientific devices, and its smooth and effective communication with the control center in the Al Khawaneej area in Dubai, which confirms that the mission of the probe is proceeding according to the established and studied plans.

The image taken at sunrise shows Olympus Munis volcano, which is the largest volcano on Mars and the largest volcano in the solar system.

The image was taken at an altitude of about 25,000 km above the surface of Mars, and in the upper left part of the image appears the north pole of Mars, and the volcano "Olympus Munis" can be seen in the center of the image with the emergence of sunlight.

The image also clearly shows the three volcanoes close to the equator on Mars, namely the summit of Iskrios, the summit of Pavonis, and the summit of Arcia.

scientific stage.

Since its arrival at the capture orbit around Mars, and during the months of February, March and early April, the working team has conducted a set of calibrations and tests for the scientific instruments carried by the probe on board, and these operations, which were controlled from the ground control station, showed that the probe, its scientific devices and its subsystems are working efficiently .

On April 14, 2021, the Hope probe succeeded in moving from the capture orbit to its scientific orbit, through a set of maneuvers in which the probe's engines were operated for a period of 510 seconds.

After this success, the Hope probe is now in its final orbit around Mars, ready to achieve the main goal of the mission by collecting scientific data for two years. At this point, the probe takes an elliptical orbit around Mars at an altitude ranging from 20,000 to 43,000 km, and takes 55 hours to complete each cycle. Complete about Mars.

On May 23, 2021, the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "Probe of Hope", announced the completion of the necessary preparations to start the scientific mission of the probe, after conducting the necessary tests to ensure the accuracy and safety of the scientific devices on board, which proved that the performance of these devices exceeds expectations.

The scientific mission of the Hope probe was officially launched on the same day and lasts for two years, with the aim of obtaining the first complete picture of the various layers of the Martian atmosphere during the day, night and all seasons of the Martian year, which is equivalent to two Earth years.

This step came, after the three scientific devices carried by the probe had been successfully activated on April 10, before the predetermined date, to be followed by the calibration and testing phase, and the project work team found out during the calibration and testing operations that the performance and accuracy of these devices exceed expectations. Until now.

The EXI digital exploration camera carried by the probe has captured more than 500 images of Mars since the probe moved to the scientific orbit in early April 2021, and the camera will now focus on mapping the clouds of icy water in the Martian atmosphere to coincide with the entry of the red planet into the “cloudy season”, during the current period. In the spring and summer in the northern hemisphere of Mars, a belt of clouds is forming near the equator, and the "Hope Probe" will have a unique view of these clouds through its privileged location and ability to observe the changing dynamics of the atmosphere during daily and seasonal cycles.

As for the EMIRS infrared spectrometer, since the "Hope Probe" entered the orbit of Mars, the scale on board the probe has worked to collect explanatory scientific data, calibrate the scale correctly in addition to processing the data collected routinely and periodically.

In all, the scale has collected more than 130,000 spectral images since its arrival on Mars and provided the team with more than 40 pre-planned explanatory scientific observations, covering a large part of the day on Mars.

This scale monitors Mars by means of infrared beams, surface temperature, atmospheric temperature, and measurement of visual depth of dust, ice clouds, and atmospheric water vapor abundance over the course of a Martian day and on sub-seasonal time scales.

These data, along with those of the UV Spectrophotometer and the Digital Reconnaissance Camera, provide an unprecedented and detailed view of the Martian climate and explain the fading processes of the red planet's atmosphere.

As for the EMUS ultraviolet spectrometer, since the arrival of the Hope probe to the orbit of Mars, it has been able to collect important scientific data, which are about 14,000 spatial spectroscopic images of the atmosphere, equivalent to 1.6 million individual spectra.. It showed the initial operation of four Various types of scientific operations By this device it works perfectly and accurately tracks targets in its field of vision.

The scale continues to collect these scientific observations throughout the scientific stage to help in understanding the composition and structure of the upper atmosphere of Mars and its changes during the different seasons.

The Hope probe is currently revolving in its planned scientific orbit around Mars between 19.974 to 42,651 kilometers, and at an angle of 25 degrees.

The first image of a Martian aurora.

On June 30, the Emirates Mars exploration project, "Probe of Hope", revealed the first images of its kind that fully and unprecedentedly monitor the phenomenon of "Discrete Aurora" in the atmosphere of Mars at night using far ultraviolet rays.

These exceptional and unprecedented images contribute to enriching the knowledge of scientists and researchers when studying the interactions between solar radiation and the magnetic field of Mars and its atmosphere.

1000 gigabytes of scientific data.

The scientific mission of the Hope probe continues until May 2023, extendable for another Mars year, and during this period it will collect more than 1,000 gigabytes of scientific data and high-resolution images about the atmosphere and climate of Mars.

global recognition.

And in a gesture that shows the global appreciation of the Emirates Mars exploration project, "Probe of Hope," the legislator won the International Achievement Award during the prestigious Sir Arthur Clarke Awards 2020, in honor of this historic scientific achievement for the UAE.

These global awards are given annually by the British Interplanetary Society and the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation with the aim of honoring individuals and teams who have achieved exceptional achievement in all space activities, both in the UK and internationally.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news