Al-Amal must reach the orbit of Mars in February 2021, at the time of the 50th anniversary of the unification of the Emirates. – Handout / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries / AFP
The United Arab Emirates celebrated in the early hours of Monday the launch of their Al-Amal (Hope) probe to the planet Mars, which should provide a complete picture of the temperature dynamics in the atmosphere of the red planet. It is the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab country.
Al-Amal must reach the orbit of Mars in February 2021, at the time of the 50th anniversary of the unification of the Emirates. The UAE wants the mission to be a source of inspiration for youth in the Arab world. The space ambitions of this oil-rich Gulf country are seen as reminiscent of the golden age of the great cultural and scientific achievements of the Middle East.
Colony on Mars and space tourism projects
The federal state made up of seven emirates (or principalities), including the capital Abu Dhabi and the flashy Dubai, has nine functioning satellites in orbit and plans to launch eight more in the coming years. In September 2019, Hazza al-Mansouri was the first Emirati to be sent into space, aboard a rocket Soyuz, and the first Arab citizen to stay in the
International space station (ISS).
The country’s ambitions go even further since it plans to build a human colony on Mars by 2117. In the meantime, it plans to create a “scientific city” in the desert on the outskirts of Dubai, in order to simulate the conditions Martians and develop the technology necessary to colonize the planet. The Emirates are also considering mining and space tourism projects. They signed a memorandum of understanding with Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company of British billionaire Richard Branson.
The journey of “hope”
Al-Amal, the 1,350 kg probe, the size of a 4×4, will take seven months to travel the 493 million km to Mars, in time to mark the 50th anniversary of the unification of the seven emirates in 2021.
The probe will remain in orbit for a whole Martian year, or 687 days. This mission must study the atmosphere of MarsTo “provide a first complete understanding” of its climatic variations over an entire year, recalled Sarah al-Amiri, Minister of Advanced Technologies of the Emirates and deputy director of the project, who was present at the
Japan at the time of launch.
Three instruments fixed on “Hope” will provide a complete picture of the atmosphere of Mars throughout the Martian year. An infrared spectrometer will measure the lower atmosphere and analyze the temperature structure, a high resolution imager will provide information on ozone levels and, finally, an ultraviolet spectrometer will measure oxygen and hydrogen levels from a distance of up to 43,000 kilometers from the surface.
Better understand the Earth’s climate
Understanding the atmospheres of other planets should allow us to better understand the weather from Earth, say those responsible for the space mission. “We are waiting for the moment of separation” of the probe and the launcher “and the first signal” from Al-Amal, said Sarah al-Amiri, deputy director of the project and also minister of advanced technologies of the Emirates. In a region shaken by conflicts and weighed down by economic difficulties, the project is also considered as a way to inspire an entire generation and remind them of the peak of scientific advances in the Middle Ages.
“The Emirates wanted to send a strong message to the Arab youth and remind them of the past, that we were once generators of knowledge,” said Omran Charaf, the project manager for the mission. “Al-Amal belongs to millions of young people in this region who want progress, inspiration and opportunities. It is a direct challenge to those who want to quell these aspirations, ”tweeted Hend al-Otaiba, director of strategic communications at the UAE’s foreign minister.
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