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UAE's first interplanetary mission launches on 20 July – 'Hope' to be ninth active mission on Mars

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In a launch some may call historic, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first Arab nation to launch an interplanetary mission – the Hope (Al Amal …
In a launch some may call historic, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first Arab nation to launch an interplanetary mission – the Hope (Al Amal in Arabic) Mars orbiter mission.
In the wee hours of the morning, at 3.28 am IST (1:58 a.m. UAE time) on 20 July 2020, Hope Probe or Amal-1 was finally launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. It was launched in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, using its H2A202 rocket that is apart of the H-IIA launch vehicle family.
Originally scheduled to blast off on 15 July at 2.21 am IST, a revised launch date was announced for Friday,17 July at 2.13 am IST which was also postponed. The launch of the Mars orbiter was delayed on two separate occasions this month due to bad weather around the launchpad in Japan.
With the launch of this orbiter, the UAE is striving to develop its scientific and technological capabilities while reducing its reliance on oil. It has also set a goal to build a human colony on Mars by 2117.
Hope is now set to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation.
The Mars orbiterwas developed through a partnership between Mohamed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Arizona State University (ASU).

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