TOKYO • The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe dubbed Al-Amal (or Hope), blasted off from Japan yesterday on a mission to reveal more about the atmosphere of the Red Planet.
The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan right on schedule at 6.58am local time.
The launch of the probe had twice been delayed because of bad weather, but yesterday's liftoff appeared smooth and successful.
An hour later, a live feed showed people applauding in the Japanese control room as the probe successfully detached.
In Dubai, the launch was met with rapturous excitement and blanket media coverage, with the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest skyscraper at 828m - lit up hours before liftoff with a symbolic 10-second countdown in anticipation.
"We proudly announce the successful launch of the Hope probe," Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, said in a tweet.
"The ground control station in Dubai has received the first signal from the probe after its solar panels were successfully deployed to charge its batteries. Our 493 million km journey to the Red Planet starts here."
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said the country watched the launch with "pride and joy" as the nation embarked on a "new chapter in space".
Only the United States, India, the former Soviet Union, and the European Space Agency have successfully sent missions to orbit the fourth planet from the Sun, while China is preparing to launch its first Mars rover later this month.
The Emirati project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the US, taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars are nearest to each other.
In October, Mars will be a comparatively close 62.07million km from Earth, according to US space agency Nasa.
The Hope probe is expected to enter Mars orbit by next February, marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of the UAE, an alliance of seven emirates.
Unlike the two other Mars ventures scheduled for this year, it will not land on the Red Planet, but instead orbit it for a whole Martian year, or 687 days.
While the objective of the UAE's mission is to provide a comprehensive image of the weather dynamics, the probe is a foundation for a much bigger goal - building a human settlement on Mars within the next 100 years.
Dubai has hired architects to imagine what a Martian city might look like and to build it in its desert as "Science City".
The UAE also wants the project to serve as a source of inspiration for Arab youth, in a region too often wracked by sectarian conflicts and economic crises.
"This mission is an important milestone for the UAE and the region," said Mr Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, director of the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, at a post-launch press conference in Japan. "It has already inspired millions of youth regionally to dream big and work hard to achieve what seems to be impossible," he said.
On Twitter, the UAE government declared the probe launch a "message of pride, hope and peace to the Arab region, in which we renew the golden age of Arab and Islamic discoveries".
Several dozen probes - most of them American - have set off for Mars since the 1960s. Many never made it that far, or failed to land.
The drive to explore the Red Planet flagged until the confirmation less than 10 years ago that water once flowed on its surface.
The Hope probe is expected to begin transmitting information back to Earth in September next year, with its data available for scientists around the world to study.
The UAE already has nine functioning satellites in Earth orbit, with plans to launch another eight in the coming years.
In September last year, it sent the first Emirati into space on a mission to the International Space Station.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
