It was a journey over land, sea and air that took the UAE’s Mars probe from a Dubai suburb to the far side of the world. But after 83 hours the hand-finished space orbiter arrived on Tanegashima Island – 1,000 kilometres south of the capital Tokyo.
It was no easy feat. The vehicle travelled in a special container to avoid damage and flew on one of the world’s largest cargo planes.
A launch date is yet to be confirmed for the Arab world’s first deep space mission, but it has to be between July 14 and August 3, when Earth and Mars align and make the mission possible. If the window is missed, another opportunity could be 26 months away.
Here we take a look at Hope's journey so far…
12-hour crawl down Dubai’s back roads
The first stage was a 68km drive from Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in the suburb of Khawaneej to Dubai World Central airport.
It would normally take a vehicle 45 minutes at most, but the lorry carrying the probe took 12 hours.
At 8am sharp, the probe was loaded into a shipping container designed for use as a mobile cleaning room. Its equipment maintains a specific temperature and humidity, uses nitrogen to disinfect the probe and remove dust particles from the air.
The vehicle travelled at an extremely slow pace to reduce vibration and ensure sensitive parts were not damaged.
By 8pm, the delivery arrived at World Central. But there were 71 hours of the journey still remaining.
A flight on the Soviet workhorse of the skies
The probe was loaded into an Antonov 124 – one of the world's largest cargo planes – for an 11-hour flight to Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city. An-124s are not a common sight. The plane was introduced in 1982 by Ukrainian Soviet engineers and only 55 were ever built.
The massive aircraft can carry up to 120 tonnes of oversized cargo – that’s about 21 Toyota Land Cruisers or four helicopters with the rotors folded in.
The Hope probe weighs only 1,500kg, about the size of a small car, but the large box had to fit inside.
These aircraft are operated by Maximus Air, an Abu Dhabi aviation company specialising in cargo shipments.
A small team of Emirati engineers used electronic equipment to monitor turbulence during the flight because severe vibrations could damage the probe.
Hope and the crew arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya at 7am, UAE time, the next day.
1,200km road trip
After 23 hours of travel, the probe had arrived in Nagoya.
Its next destination was Shimama port in Kagoshima Prefecture, which is about 1,200km away from the airport and can take up to 24 hours to reach if travelling by road.
Because the probe had to be transported at an extremely slow pace while on the road, it is likely the duration was far longer. The probe remained in its container throughout the journey.
Reaching the rocket launch site by sea
From Shimama port, Hope was loaded on to a ship and taken around the south side of the Tanegashima Island to reach Tanegashima Space Centre.
And 83 hours after its first lorry ride in Dubai, the probe at last reached its destination.
It will be attached to the H-IIA rocket when it is ready for launch.
The Tanegashima Space Centre is often called the “most beautiful launch facility in the world” because of its picturesque setting.
Hundreds of people typically travel to the island to watch launches but owing to Covid-19 travel restrictions, only local residents will be able to witness this historic launch.
What happens next?
Emirati engineers were given special permission to fly to Japan, which has been in a nationwide state of emergency and had banned foreigners from visiting.
The team travelling with the probe delivered it to another group of engineers who had arrived in Japan weeks earlier and undergone two weeks of quarantine.
These engineers will stay put in Tanegashima until what is hoped to be a landmark launch.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
More coverage from the Future Forum
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group C
Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
Anfield, Liverpool
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
