DUBAI (AFP): The ‘Hope’ probe of United Arab Emirates (UAE) set back its first image of Mars, according to the national space agency, days after the spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit.
“The first picture of Mars captured by the first-ever Arab probe in history, 25,000 km above the Red Planet’s surface,” Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, said in a tweet.
من ارتفاع ٢٥ ألف كم عن سطح الكوكب الأحمر .. أول صورة للمريخ بأول مسبار عربي في التاريخ
The first picture of Mars captured by the first-ever Arab probe in history, 25,000 km above the Red Planet’s surface pic.twitter.com/Qgh2Cn3JPF
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 14, 2021
The national space agency, in a statement, said, “The picture captured the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, emerging into the early morning sunlight.”
“The image was taken from an altitude of 24,700 kilometres above the Martian surface on Wednesday, a day after the probe entered Mars’ orbit,” the statement added.
The UAE made history last week by becoming the first Arab nation, and the fifth worldwide, to send a probe to Mars. The mission is designed to reveal the secrets of Martian weather, but the UAE also wants it to serve as an inspiration for the region’s youth.
Hope became the first of three spacecraft to arrive at the Red Planet this month after China and the US also launched missions in July, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest.
“Hope” will orbit the Red Planet for at least one Martian year, or 687 days, using three scientific instruments to monitor the Martian atmosphere. It is expected to begin transmitting more information back to Earth in September 2021.
