Mars Rush: UAE's Hope Probe Shares Its Stunning First Image Of Mars

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Hope Probe has sent back its first image of Mars days after making its historic entry to the red planet's orbit.

It has only been about a week since the first of three Mars missions arrived at its destination, but it's already proving to be impressive. Hope Probe sent back its first image of Mars, showing the red planet from about 25,000 kilometers (15,534 miles) above the surface.

"The transmission of the Hope Probe's first image of Mars is a defining moment in our history and marks the UAE joining advanced nations involved in space exploration," Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, said in a tweet sharing the image on Sunday. "We hope this mission will lead to new discoveries about Mars which will benefit humanity."

Hope Probe's successful arrival made the UAE only the fifth nation to reach Mars, just in time to mark the 50th anniversary of the emirates' unification. By September 2021, the spacecraft is expected to begin transmitting scientific data for scientists to scour.

But apart from the spacecraft's scientific goals, the mission also has "beyond science" objectives, such as encouraging global collaboration when it comes to Mars exploration, improving the quality of life on Earth through new discoveries and inspiring the youth to pursue space science.

Big Month For Mars

China's Tianwen-1 also reached Mars on Feb. 10, just a day after the UAE's Hope Probe landing. Days after its arrival, China shared a video of Mars as the spacecraft was entering orbit around the planet.

The short video shows a series of images that the spacecraft took during its approach to the planet. In it, one can see parts of the planet against the pitch dark of space as Tianwen-1 makes its approach. In certain parts of the video, some of the craters on the surface can even be observed.

This week, another Mars mission is set to arrive on Mars as NASA's Perseverance rover is expected to make a touchdown on the Martian surface on Thursday. Those who would like to watch the event as it unfolds may do so via NASA TV, which will provide a landing day livestream.