UAE: UAE Mars mission could be extended for two more years – News

Two of Mars’ moons, Deimos and Phobos, are areas of interest for scientists in the country, with a particular focus on the former

The cheers that erupted after the Prodigy probe successfully entered Mars orbit (MOI) resonated throughout the Arab world – and today the UAE is celebrating the end of the Year of Mars, which will begin when the Prodigy probe enters orbit around the Red Planet in 2021.

The Hope probe successfully reached the orbit of Mars at 19:42 on February 9, 2021, completing one of the most complex and intricate stages of its mission after a seven-month space journey of 493 million kilometers.

The rover plans to continue its scientific mission to explore Mars until mid-2023, with the possibility of extending it by one Martian year (two Earth years), according to a news conference in Dubai on Thursday.

Zakaria Al Shamsi, deputy project director for Hope Probe operations, said: “The spacecraft is very healthy. We have been doing [an] Analyze regularly. As far as mission extensions are concerned, the decision rests with MBRSC and the UAE Space Agency. The decision was made primarily by the UAE Space Agency. “

The Hope Probe completes a cycle every 55 hours and has made countless scientific achievements by observing previously unknown phenomena.

The probe’s achievements open up great prospects for the development and prosperity of the national space sector, with the aim of increasing its contribution to the UAE’s GDP – as it is one of the most prominent sectors in a future economy based on innovation and knowledge.

Shamshi shed light on what the mission is about to achieve, explaining that Mars’ two moons, Deimos and Phobos, are areas of interest for the agency’s scientists.

Deimos, the smaller and outermost of Mars’ two natural satellites, has received particular attention from researchers.

However, the origin of the Martian moons is said to be unknown, and these hypotheses are disputed.

“At the moment, studying the Deimos satellite is our goal, and it will be a new discovery for the scientific community[when we find new data]. The team is studying Deimos and hopes to get more data. This is an exciting time for us.” moment, because we’re trying to understand Deimos and what it actually looks like,” he added.

Elaborating on one of the most pivotal moments in the project, Shamshi added, “The most challenging part for me was the release and [the] Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI). The odds are 50/50 for MOI, so it was a tense moment. But the team was well prepared for it. “