Mars mission: UAE probe sends first image of Red Planet to the National Space Agency

The Emirates Mars Mission is a United Arab Emirates Space Agency uncrewed space exploration mission to Mars.

The Hope spacecraft was launched on July 19, 2020, and reached Mars on February 9, 2021.

The probe will study daily and seasonal weather cycles, weather events in the lower atmosphere such as dust storms, and how the weather varies in different regions of the planet.

In addition, the spacecraft will gain insight into Mars’ atmospheric hydrogen and oxygen loss and other possible reasons behind the planet’s drastic climate changes.

The mission is being carried out by a team of Emirati engineers in collaboration with foreign research institutions and is a contribution towards a knowledge-based economy in the UAE.