Emirati space probe sends first image of Mars

Abu Dhabi –

Five days after entering the orbit of Mars, the spacecraft sent the first image of the red planet to the United Arab Emirates.

The photo, published on Sunday, was taken 25,000 kilometers above the surface of Mars, wrote Imrati Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rasid al-Maktoum on Twitter. Sheikh Mohammed bin Sajid al-Nahjan, Crown Prince Abu Dhabi and the de facto ruler of the emirate, spoke of “the defining moment in our history”.

The “Amal” (ASHA) mission entered the orbit of Mars on Tuesday at a speed of 18,000 kilometers per hour. A day later, a Chinese probe also went into orbit to detect the surface of Mars. Earlier, USA, Soviet Union, Europe and India had reached the planet in their own missions. On Thursday, the US space agency NASA’s rover “Perseverance” is scheduled to land on Mars.

Emirati was on the road for seven months after the space probe began and was intended to help better record the planet’s climate. It is about to remain in the orbit of Mars for about two years and examine the surface of the planet at all times of the day and year. The probe is expected to orbit Mars every 55 hours and take a complete image every nine days. The first scientific data are to be published in early September.