Emirates' Hope (Al-Amal) probe to Mars
Sonda Hope (Al-Amal) de Emiratos a Marte
- Date
- 2020-2021 · confidence high
- Place
- Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Credited to
- Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), with the University of Colorado Boulder
- Field
- Movement
What was discovered
The first interplanetary mission of an Arab country: launched on 19 July 2020 from Japan, it entered Mars orbit on 9 February 2021 to study the Martian atmosphere and climate through the day and the seasons.
It was built in Dubai with support from the University of Colorado's LASP. The arrival date (February 2021) is that of orbit insertion; the coordinates are those of the space centre.
What it led to
- global data on Mars's atmosphere, dust and discrete auroras
- creation of a space industry and science community in the UAE
- later missions: the Rashid rover to the Moon (2023, landing unsuccessful)