UAE successfully launched its Mars-bound Probe
“We have lift-off. H2A, the rocket carrying the Hope Probe to space, has launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan” tweeted Hope Mars Mission up the take-off, marking a historical leap for the United Arab Emirates.
Being the first of the three international missions to the Red Planet this summer, the UAE successfully launched its Mars-bound Hope Probe; the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. A mission that culminates all steps and efforts the humankind has made in its effort to explore the deep space. The launch is yet another step but this time it is special.
It is special because this time it is a tribute to Arabs and the Arab world. It is a tribute to 400 million Arabs in the world. It is also a tribute to the Arab history, more specifically to the Islamic Golden Age, which is traditionally dated from the 8th century to the 14th century when most prominent inventions and significant contributions in numerous fields were made.
Al-Kwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Omar Khayyam, Muhammad Ibn Battuta and Abu Nasr Muhammad Al Farabi were some of the influential figures we know from that era.
The Al Amal probe, or Hope in English, is expected to reach Mars by February 2021. It will be the first time the UAE has orbited Mars, and the probe will stay in orbit for a Martian year — equivalent to 687 days on Earth, to gather data about Mars’ atmosphere, as reported in the news.
As Al-Khwarizmi’s contributions drastically impacted the modern science as it is known today, the UAE’s Al Amal is bound to impact further steps, sprints, and leaps, in space exploration, by that exploring new frontiers.