The Emirates Mars Mission team watches the launch of Hope Probe in Japan on Monday.

Jamil Khan / Mujahid Shah / Faisal Siddiqui

For generations to come, Monday, July 20, will be etched forever in the minds of Emiratis. On this red-letter day, a mission to the Red Planet was rendered a reality. A young nation such as the UAE has pulled off a feat that was considered well nigh impossible by the Cassandras: launched the Hope Probe.

The UAE’s Hope Probe  mission, a 7-month-long journey of 493,500,000km towards the Red Planet, which has been receiving praise from all over the world as leaders and those in the science fraternity termed it as a big and bold step for future research. Besides these, there are many Emiratis who are proud of, and exulting over, the achievement. They shared their immense happiness on their leadership achieving another milestone.

The first Arab mission to Mars by the UAE was launched in the wee hours of July 20 from the Tanegashima Island in Japan by a 21-member Emirati Hope Probe team.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said, “In 1976, the late Sheikh Zayed met NASA experts because space was his ambition. Today, you are making his dream come true.”

“The UAE Hope Probe’s highly-anticipated launch to Mars will inspire the young generation to make the impossible possible,” said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid while addressing the 21-member Emirati Hope Probe team.

Muhammad Ebrahim Abdullah told Gulf Today that “the successful launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe mission is a dream come true and a huge achievement for not only the UAE but also for the whole Arab world. Through this mission our leadership has achieved a bigger goal beyond our planet, the Earth.” 

“We thank our leaders, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and others on successfully completing this task of sending the first Arab world mission towards Mars. We knew that our leaders have challenges but with their vision and successful leadership they set a target and achieved their goals by trusting in local talent,” he said.

Mariam Othman, Director, Rashid Centre for the Determined Ones, remarked, “Congratulations to the leaders of the UAE, for launching the successful Hope Mars mission. The UAE has yet again realised another dream. I am proud to be an Emirati and wish all the leaders for the 50th anniversary of the UAE formation with this extraordinary mission to raise the bar for other nations.”

Khalid Alnuaimi, a senior DIFC official, said that with this new achievement by the UAE the whole nation is proud and now our goals are much bigger than ever. “We are thankful to the UAE leadership to become the first Arab nation by setting the target of Mars through Hope Probe (Al Amal). This mission will achieve whatever the targets are and set a new milestone for future missions not only for Arabs but will also benefit the whole space community around the world,” he added.

Rehab Almehairi shared her profound happiness on the new feather in the cap of the UAE’s successful journey towards Mars. “We were waiting for this day when our beloved country launched a successful mission towards Mars. There are a handful of nations in the world targeting Mars as their goal and being a proud Emirati we are one of them.”

Not only Emiratis but also the expatriate community hailed the historic launch of the Hope Probe.

A Sharjah-based Pakistani student, Syeda Sherbano Shah, congratulated the UAE visionary leadership, all Emiratis and expats for the successful, elegant and innovative space technology and the launch of ‘Hope Probe.’

“My prayers are always for the peace, prosperity and happiness of the UAE and its leadership. I pray that the UAE sets its foot on many more planets. I wish the #HopeProbe completes its mission successfully,” Sherbano added.

“We are proud to be living in a country like the UAE which dares to make the impossible, possible. Mars Hope Probe is a perfect example of the foresight of the UAE visionary leadership, which thought not only of its progress but of the entire Arab world,” said Mohammed Siraj, a Sharjah-based resident.

Suhail Ahmed, an Indian working with a telecom firm, said, “UAE has always aspired to attain the highest rank in whatever it does and Mars Hope Probe mission is one of them.”

“The mission has placed the UAE alongside the world’s top countries who ventured into the space,” said Suhail Ahmed.

“ The UAE has made its habit to attempt impossble things and get through it with ease and perfection. “The country’s leadership leaves no stone unturned to make the lives of its citizens in particular and of the global community in general,” said Arshad Ameen, an Indian businessman based in Sharjah.

Arshad said, “The UAE made a herculean task of launching a mission to the Red Planet look so simple just because of its diligent planning and error-free execution.”