UAE's Hope captures first image of Mars after travelling one million km into space

The United Arab Emirates became an interplanetary country after it launched its first mission to Mars. On July 20, 'Al Amal,' or 'Hope' probe took off from Tanegashima Space Centre in, Japan, at 06.58 local time (21.58 GMT) with an assist from a Mitsubishi rocket booster. Recently, Hope took the first photograph of its destination which was shared by the country’s leader.

Posted by the ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Twitter, the image beautifully captures the red planet glimmering into a distance. According to media reports, the picture was captured 66 hours after UAE’s ambitious mission was launched into space.

'Praises for the UAE'

In the caption, he revealed that the mission has travelled one million kilometres in the space already. Since shared, the picture has received 2.1 thousand likes and a variety of comments from excited netizens. One user wrote,"  All the very best HH....You are the man with big dreams..Dubai is lucky to have you as a leader" while another wrote," Please take one picture for the earth from your location It will amazing" Yet another comment read," Praise to the UAE for its achievements and accomplishments in space." 

The Arab world’s first mission to Mars was initially due to launch on 14 July. However, it was delayed twice due to bad weather. According to the minister for advanced sciences Sarah Amiri, the Emirates Mars Mission has cost $200m (£155.8m). The probe aims to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.

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Emiratis and Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) worked with US educational institutions to develop and build the Hope Probe. After an hour of launch, the probe deployed solar panels to power its communication and other systems. The MBRSC space centre in Dubai will then oversee the spacecraft during its 494 million km journey at an average speed of 121,000 kmph.

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