The launch of the first UAE probe to Mars represents a national and Arab achievement, said UAE President Khalifa bin Zeid al Nahyan.
The H-IIA launch vehicle with the Hope space probe, created by UAE engineers, successfully launched from the space center of the Japanese island of Tanegashima on Monday. Subsequently, the probe separated from the launch vehicle and began to signal. Before that, due to bad weather, the launch of the rocket was postponed several times.
"We watched with joy and great pride the successful launch of the Hope probe, the idea of which was born in our country, and the design and production of its main parts were carried out with the participation of Emirati young personnel. The probe represents a national and Arab achievement at a qualitatively new high level, the success of our sons and daughters, who are paving our state a central place in the region in the field of space technology, " al Nahyan wrote on Twitter.
Fully constructed by Arab scientists and engineers, the probe is planned to reach the Red planet in 2021, when the UAE will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the state. Emirati authorities call it the first Arab mission to Mars and have come up with a motto inscribed inside the probe: "Nothing is impossible."
The UAE has planned an extensive space exploration program for the coming years, which began last year with the sending of the first Emirati cosmonaut, Hazzaa al-Mansouri, to the ISS. They are currently selecting new candidates for the Emirati space force and are planning to establish a settlement on Mars.
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti