In February 2021, the UAE became the first Arab nation and fifth country to reach Mars, an achievement that coincided with the UAE’s 50th anniversary. After traveling 306 million miles in seven months, the UAE’s Hope Probe now orbits the Red Planet.
Using three cutting-edge scientific instruments, Hope has collected and transmitted data about the planet’s atmosphere back to Earth, helping scientists create the first complete depiction of the Martian atmosphere. The Hope Probe has now moved to a new orbit and is currently studying Deimos, the smaller and the lesser studied moon of Mars.
In July 2020, the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. hosted a virtual watch party for the historic launch of the Hope Probe. US and UAE space industry officials and experts, including then-NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and the UAE Space Agency’s then-Director General Dr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi, joined Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba to discuss the significance of the Emirates Mars Mission for the UAE and the international space community.
The team driving the UAE’s space program represents a new generation of Emirati engineers that is predominantly female. 50% of the employees at the UAE Space Agency are women, and 80% of the Emirates Mars Mission’s science team are women. This includes H.E. Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, and Heyam Al Blooshi, a UAE Space Agency engineer, who worked on the Hope Probe. Learn more about how women are at the forefront of innovation and progress in science and technology for the UAE here.
“Hope” or “Al Amal” in Arabic – represents the culmination of an innovative knowledge transfer and development program between the UAE and international partners. Emirati engineers worked closely with scientists at US educational institutions such as University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University.
