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The UAE Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation, made a major milestone for the mission as the Hope Probe
The UAE’s Hope Probe is arriving at Mars and will attempt to orbit it
The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars will arrive at the red planet on Tuesday and will attempt a tricky maneuver to place it in orbit.
The Emirates Mars Mission is known as the Hope Probe, and it is expected to arrive at Mars and send back a signal confirming it’s in orbit.
“The historic moment is here. The Delta V
thrusters of the #HopeProbe has been fired.
We are officially in the Mars Orbit Insertion phase,” according to a tweet from the mission’s Twitter account around 10:42 a.m. ET.
File picture In an historic day for the nation, the UAE’s Hope Probe Mars Mission is due to enter the Red Planet’s orbit, with the manoeuvre starting from 7:30 pm UAE time.
The Probe has to slow down in a highly complex procedure called the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) to achieve entry.
The MOI will last an uninterrupted 27 minutes. Nearly half of the fuel will be spent to slow the Hope Probe down enough to capture Mars’ orbit.
During this time, the speed of the spacecraft will decelerate from its cruising speed of 121,000 kmph down to 18,000 kmph.
The Hope Probe approaches Mars with such a velocity that it will slingshot around it and continue into deep space if it hasn t slowed down to the level where it can be captured by the planet s gravity.