The United Arab Emirates (UAE) created history as its first-ever interplanetary Hope Probe mission successfully entered the red planet’s orbit on Tuesday. According to CNN, UAE’s first mission to Mars arrived at the red planet on Tuesday and successfully entered orbit on its first attempt. The Emirates Mars Mission, known as the Hope Probe, sent back a signal confirming it’s in orbit. Hope entered the red planet’s orbit after its nearly 7 months, 494 million kilometres journey.

This achievement makes the UAE only the fifth country in history to reach Mars and also the Arab nation’s first interplanetary mission.

“Success! Contact with #HopeProbe has been established again. The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete,” according to a tweet from the mission’s Twitter account at 11:16 am ET (9:46 pm IST). Soon after the probe entered orbit, officials at mission control broke into applause while congratulatory messages have been pouring on Twitter.

“What you have accomplished is an honour for you, and an honour for the nation. I want to congratulate you,” said Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed after entering the control room.

About the Hope probe:

The Hope Mars Mission is considered as the biggest strategic and scientific national initiative announced by UAE’s President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2014. The probe, funded by the UAE government, was launched on July 20, 2020, using a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H2A rocket.

The probe, along with its three scientific instruments, is expected to create the first complete portrait of the Martian atmosphere. The instruments will collect different data points on the atmosphere to also gauge seasonal and daily changes. This data will provide scientists with an idea of the climate dynamics and weather in different layers of the Martian atmosphere and will further shed light on how energy and particles, like oxygen and hydrogen, move through the atmosphere and how they even escape Mars.

Hope is the first of three spacecraft to arrive at the Red Planet this month after China and the US also launched missions in July.  Of the other two missions, Tianwen-1 is expected to arrive on February 10 and Perseverance on February 18, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, landmarks across the Gulf state have been lit up in red at night and government accounts and police patrol cars emblazoned with the #ArabstoMars hashtag.