UAE’s Hope probe enters Mars orbit in historic flight
- The spacecraft has begun circling the red planet in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission
- Two more craft from the US and China are following close behind, set to arrive at Mars over the next few days
A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.
Mission controllers at the UAE’s space centre in Dubai announced that the uncrewed craft, called Amal – Arabic for “Hope” – reached the end of its nearly seven-month, 300-million-mile (483-million-km) journey and began circling the red planet, where it will gather detailed data on Mars’ atmosphere.
The orbiter fired its main engines for 27 minutes in an intricate, high-stakes manoeuvre that slowed the craft enough for it to be captured by Mars’ gravity.
After the engine firing, it took a nail-biting 15 minutes or so for the signal confirming success to reach Earth. Ground controllers rose their feet and broke into applause. Tensions were high: over the years, Mars has been the graveyard for a multitude of missions from various countries.
Two more uncrewed spacecraft from the US and China are following close behind, set to arrive at Mars over the next several days. All three missions were launched in July to take advantage of the close alignment of Earth and Mars.