Each step of the mission marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s space odyssey. “Now, we will get the true taste of exploring Mars very soon, and we are getting the data and experiencing that,” Omran Sharaf, project director of the Emirates Mars Mission, said on Thursday. The past few weeks have been exhilarating for those involved with the Hope probe. “I've never stared at a screen as much as I have when I've seen data coming from the Mars mission,” said Sarah Al Amiri, the UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology. “It's just mesmerising, regardless of which one of the three instruments it came from.”