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UAE eyes Mars mission

Mission to help researchers analyse Martian atmosphere with help of unmanned probe named al Amal

Web Desk May 06, 2015

PHOTO: WAM

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday unveiled the details of its Mars mission, UAE daily Gulf News reported.

According to the engineers involved in the project, the mission will help researchers analyse the Martian atmosphere with the help of an unmanned probe named al Amal (Hope), which will be launched in 2021.

“Our science mission is to produce the first ever truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere,” Emirates Mars Mission Project Manager Omran Sharaf has said. “This is the first holistic study of the Martian climate and how the layers of atmosphere fit together.”

A team composed of 150 scientists and engineers, who are all UAE nationals, will work on the mission.

"We have to be ready by [July 2020]. There is no second chance. It's a race against time," Sharaf said. The spacecraft will be launched in the nose cone of a rocket. The journey to Mars will take around seven months.

These details were disclosed in an event attended by top UAE officials, including the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

“We will model the connections between all the different components of the Martian climate including all the temperatures, winds, dust, and clouds,” Deputy Project Manager Sarah Amiri said.

The data that will be sent to earth from the probe will be made available to 200 universities and research institutes. “Scientists on Earth will use the data that will be sent by the probe to build a complete dynamic picture of the Martian climate. This is something that has never been seen before,” Sharaf said.

The UAE’s plan to send an unmanned probe in 2021 was first announced in July last year. A space agency was created after that to plan over the next six years, and then execute, the seven- to nine-month journey to Mars.

The oil-rich gulf country’s investments in space technologies exceed $5.44 billion.

COMMENTS (6)

Bobb Mack | 9 years ago | Reply @BruteForce: Indians continue to like us believe as if they have reinvented the space tech. Thanks to the cold war era they were able to collect bits & pieces of the technology, either as items of duel application or as completed parts as an incentive/gift along with major weapon sales, largely from cash hungry Russia but latter also from the US. Rocket/satellite launch facility was one of the major Russian contributions. Still the Indians quite understandably remain much be behind in this field. For example they no clue how to guide and track these space probes and have to be strictly assisted by others. So why can not UAE buy the stuff in return for straight hard cash rather than acquiring parts in disguised or hidden manner or by stealing!! In fact, in an era of economic reversal, the major space players such as the NASA, Russian/European space would be too happy to do business with UAE. They must already be drooling at the idea of UAE's idea of going !space" !! Countries often fall victim to glamorous projects like Moon/Mars Missions either as a matter of false national pride or merely to compete with a rival. The first country to initiate space programme in the region (of course with Canadian assistance) was Pakistan but it rightly decided that working on two expensive projects (other being nuclear programme) would be financially unsustainable. Thus quite wisely it has been focussing only on not just production of nukes/missiles but on their improvisation and quite successfully. I am sure the option of space development, depending on how the economy performs and of course how quickly they can deal with the menace of terrorism remains on the long term agenda. Perhaps, pending that, Pakistan could start some joint ventures with the Chinese.

Vectra | 9 years ago | Reply UAE doesn't have its own rocket launch system but most probably they will use foreign launcher to launch their probe.But its a good initiative.

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BruteForce | 9 years ago | Reply Why can't they just outsource this work to India? India already has the launch capabilities and valuable experience of going to Mars. UAE will end up spending Billions, when India can do it for paltry $75 Million. To ensure profitability, ISRO can do it for double the cost, but still much less than any country in the world!

3rdRockFromTheSun | 9 years ago | Reply "A team composed of 150 scientists and engineers, who are all UAE nationals, will work on the mission" - no prior experience in rocketry / satellites, and their first mission is a Mars mission! A tad too ambitious may be? But if you don't reach for the stars (pun intended), you won't get anywhere! All the best to their team!

Engineer | 9 years ago | Reply Many questions here, UAE haven't even tested a rocket. Before sending a probe to Mars, try sending a satellite to Geo stationary orbit to test your rocket performance. The journey to Mars will take around seven months. Really? I am curious how? India sent the Mars probe around November 2013 and it reached September 2014, that's 10 months. USA also sent the probe around the same time and it arrived just 3 days before. What are they using to cut the time to 7 months? This looks like another chest thumping exercise from UAE without realizing they don't have any scientific base to conduct this complex mission.

Ch. Allah Daad | 9 years ago | Reply There are many questions but still its a great initiative.

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