The United Arab Emirates plans to make history with the scheduled launch of the “Hope” mission, which will make it the first Arab nation to send a probe to Mars.
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A rocket carrying the unmanned spacecraft is due to take off from Japan’s remote Tanegashima Space Center at 5:51 am local time.
The Emirati project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States.
The probe is expected to detach from the launch rocket about an hour after blast-off, which is when the UAE Mars mission’s deputy project manager Sarah al-Amiri said the real excitement will begin.
The UAE which is better known for its skyscrapers, palm-shaped islands and mega attractions has in recent years been pushing to expand its space sector.
The UAE also wants the project to serve as a source of inspiration for Arab youth, in a region too often wracked by sectarian conflicts and economic crises.
Dubai has hired architects to imagine what a Martian city might look like and recreate it in its desert as “Science City”, at a cost of around 500 million dirhams (135 million dollars).
