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UAE Mars mission: Hope Probe at most critical phase in entering the Mars orbit

It’s the final countdown! The Hope Probe is gearing up for the critical Mars Orbit Insertion stage. With just one day to go, we look into what’s latest on the UAE’s first-ever interplanetary mission with the Hope Probe expected to enter the Red Planet’s orbit on Tuesday

by ITP Staff
UAE Mars mission: Hope Probe at most critical phase in entering the Mars orbit
UAE Mars mission: Hope Probe at most critical phase in entering the Mars orbit
by ITP Staff

9th February 2021, 7:42 pm UAE time

We are less than 24 hours away from the momentous event as the Hope Probe approaches the Mars Orbit Insertion stage. Tomorrow, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission will launch the Hope Probe into the Mars orbit. Upon arrival, the Hope Probe would have travelled a total of 493 million km in a seven-month journey since its launch on July 20, 2020 from Tanegashima Island in Japan.

The unmanned spacecraft will explore the planet’s climactic dynamics in daily and seasonal timescales for a full Martian year (687 earth days).

The critical manoeuvre

On 9th February, the Hope probe will enter its fourth and most critical stage of its seven-month cruise. The Mars Orbit Insertion stage, involves a complex manoeuvre where the spacecraft will use its thrusters to rapidly reduce its speed from 121,000km/h to 18,000km/h to enter Mars’ orbit.

Omran Sharaf, Project Director of Emirates Mars Mission emphasised that this manoeuvre has to be accomplished with great precision to ensure that the Hope Probe reaches the correct orbit around the Red Planet, at the MBRSC’s media briefing. “We need the right timing and speed to avoid crashing into Mars or (God forbid) be lost in space,” he said.

The dark 27 minutes

So, what will happen in the dark half hour when the Probe is eclipsed by Mars?

The Delta V Thrusters will slow down the Hope Probe to around 18,000 km/h. During the Mars Orbit Insertion Phase, nearly half of the fuel is spent to slow the Hope Probe down. This phase will be completed independently with the probe getting as close as 1000 km from Mars. In the process, the Hope Probe will temporarily lose contact with scientists on Earth as it reduces speed sharply to reach the correct target orbit around the Red Planet.

 Lasting 27 minutes, this fuel burn phase will decide if the Hope Probe will get captured into the Mars orbit.

What will Hope Probe do in the Mars orbit?

The Hope Probe will capture a complete picture of the red planet’s atmosphere, detailing the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space and identifying why Mars is losing them into space. This mission will help understand climate dynamics and derive the link between weather change and atmospheric loss, a process that may have caused the Red Planet’s surface corrosion and the loss of its upper atmosphere.

India was the first country to successfully enter the orbit on a maiden voyage. The probe’s successful arrival to Mars will make the UAE the fifth nation in the world to reach the Red Planet after the United States, Soviet Union, China, the European Space Agency and India, and the third to make the feat on the first attempt. Besides the UAE’s Hope probe, China and US are leading exploration missions set to reach the Red Planet this month.

Arab Space Pioneers Programme: Inspiring young aspirants

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the first-of-its-kind specialised training programme earlier in July in line with the launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe to Mars – the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.

The UAE Space Agency announced that 10 winners have been selected to join the Arab Space Pioneers Programme’s inaugural edition, the first intensive scientific training programme of its kind in the Arab world.

This programme aims to build Arab expertise in space science and technologies and empower the region’s talents in the creative and scientific industry to practice their passion in space-related studies.

Overseen by the UAE Space Agency, the programme aims to prepare Arab talent across various disciplines of space science, research and technology, and nurture the scientific competencies of Arab youth that are passionate about space exploration and science.

Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency and EMM Science Lead, said in a previous interview that the Hope Probe is an important milestone in the UAE’s history. “Its expected arrival at Mars coincides with the nation’s golden jubilee celebrations and reaffirms our wise leadership’s determination to continue the achievements of the founding fathers of the UAE and become one of the best nations globally in the next 50 years.”

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Sheikh Mohammed: UAE’s Mars mission “carries a message of hope to Arab youth”

Supporting the ‘Arabs to Mars’ campaign

Several landmark buildings across the UAE and the Arab World have turned red in anticipation of the UAE Hope Probe’s expected arrival to Mars on February 9.

Some of the many structures and buildings that have turned red in support of UAE’s maiden voyage to Mars include Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, the Etihad Museum, the Museum of the Future, the Dubai Museum (Al Fahidi Fort), the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC), Expo 2020, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, the Dubai Police Academy, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Global Village.

In honour of the Arab world’s major breakthrough in space exploration, iconic ‘golf balls’ or the spherical structures atop Etisalat’s office buildings across the UAE have been proudly lit up in red.

Dr Ahmed bin Ali, Group Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications Etisalat, said: “Etisalat is honoured to be part of the nationwide ‘Arabs to Mars’ campaign by lighting up in red the iconic spherical structures atop our buildings across the UAE, along with other initiatives, to mark such a historic moment for the UAE and the entire Arab world. The Probe’s arrival to Mars is the dream of the late UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and would not have been possible without the guidance and vision of the UAE’s leadership and support for our young talented Emiratis.”