UAE Successfully Launches First Mars Probe... 'Start of a 7-Month Journey' (Comprehensive)

Mars probe 'Amal,' meaning hope, launched in Japan
Plans to explore climate and more on Mars
UAE, along with the US and China, also plans probe launches

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Mars probe 'Amal' has been launched. Amal has begun its seven-month journey to Mars.

On the 20th, the UAE Space Agency announced that Japan's H2A rocket carrying Amal was launched at 6:58 a.m. (Korean time) from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kyushu, Japan. After launch, the first and second stage rockets of the H2A were ignited sequentially, successfully placing the probe into orbit.

After separation from the propulsion system post-launch, Amal will unfold its solar panels and proceed toward Mars.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Amal, meaning "hope" in Arabic, was developed as part of the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), aiming to send a probe to Mars in time for the UAE's 50th anniversary in 2021.

Since the UAE lacks its own rocket launch capability, it utilized the H2A rocket developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. Amal was developed with the participation of UAE scientists and engineers, along with researchers from the University of Colorado in the United States. The project succeeded after six years of preparation.

The New York Times (NYT) introduced the UAE as taking on a bold interplanetary exploration mission, having previously launched several small satellites. The UAE has experience launching three satellites in cooperation with Korean companies.

Amal is expected to enter Mars orbit around February next year. Equipped with an infrared spectrometer and an ultraviolet spectrometer to check oxygen and hydrogen saturation in the atmosphere, Amal plans to investigate the Martian atmosphere. Amal will orbit Mars in an elliptical scientific orbit at altitudes between 20,000 and 43,000 km every 55 hours to study Martian climate. If Amal's mission succeeds, humanity will be able to observe weather phenomena on Mars.

If this project succeeds, the UAE will become the country to send a probe to Mars following the former Soviet Union, the United States, and the European Union.

If the Mars probe is launched this month, the distance to Mars will be shorter, and following the UAE, the United States and China will also launch Mars probes. China's first Mars probe, 'Tianwen-1,' is scheduled to launch between the 20th and 25th, and the United States' 'Perseverance' will head to Mars on the 30th. China's Tianwen mission plans to perform orbiting, landing, and exploration tasks on Mars, then bring Martian surface samples back to Earth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.