UAE: An additional two years could be added to the Emirates Mars Mission

 

The Arab world erupted in jubilation following the successful Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) of the Hope Probe, and the UAE is now commemorating the passage of a Martian year from the day the Hope Probe orbited the Red Planet in 2021.

After 493 million kilometres, and a seven-month trip through space, the Hope Probe arrived in Mars' orbit at 19:42 on February 9, 2021, concluding one of the most difficult and intricate aspects of its mission.

According to a news conference conducted on Thursday in Dubai, the Probe is expected to continue its scientific mission to investigate Mars until the middle of 2023, with the possibility of extending it for an extra Martian year (two Earth years).

"The spacecraft is very healthy," stated Zakaria Al Shamsi, the Hope Probe's deputy project director. We continue conducting regular analyses. MBRSC and the UAE Space Agency are in charge of making the decision on the mission extension. The UAE space agency will primarily be responsible for making this choice.

By studying hitherto undiscovered occurrences, the Hope Probe, which completes one cycle every 55 hours, has registered significant scientific breakthroughs.

The success of The Probe opens up numerous opportunities for the growth and prosperity of the national space industry, which will increase its GDP contribution to the UAE. The space industry is one of the most important segments of the emerging knowledge-based economy.

Shamshi clarifies the mission's future objectives by pointing out that the scientists at the organisation are particularly interested in Mars' two moons, Deimos and Phobos.

Researchers are particularly interested in Deimos, the second of Mars' two natural satellites and its smaller and outermost.

The origin of Mars' moons, however, is reportedly unknown, and the theories are debatable.

We are currently focusing on analysing the Deimos moon, which will lead to new scientific discoveries (as and when we uncover fresh data). The team is researching Deimos and trying to get more information. As we work to comprehend Deimos and what it actually looks like, this is an exciting time for us, he continued.