How UAE's 'Hope' set off for Mars voyage giving new hopes
The launch
The rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan right on schedule at 6:58 am local time (2158 GMT Sunday). It has been earlier delayed twice due to bad weather, however the final liftoff looked smooth and successful.
'New chapter in space'
After the successful launch, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said the nation watched it with "pride and joy" as they embarked on a "new chapter in space".
Can UAE join the elite league?
Only, the United States, India, the former Soviet Union, and the European Space Agency have succesfully launched missions to orbit Mars. It will be interesting to see if UAE accomplishes this feat too.
Human settlement
Though the objectives of the probe are different, it is a part of UAE's ambitious project of installing a human settlement on Mars withing the next 100 years.
Burj Khalifa lit up
Hope is expected to reach Mars orbit by February 2021 and will start sending back information to the Earth in September 2021.
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