Hope Probe reflects integrated national effort and long journey of achievements: MBRSC

Mohammed bin Rashid: Hope Probe is an accomplishment for every Arab and a source of pride for every Emirati

ME Business

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC, said, "The Hope Probe to Mars is a message of hope from our country to the rest of the world."

"Our space mission sends an inspiring message that nothing can stand in the way of hard work and innovation and that dreams, no matter how ambitious can come true with unflinching willpower dedicated to the benefit of humanity," he added.

He noted that the coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak brought nations to a standstill, posing a challenge on economic, social and health fronts. However, the UAE was able to overcome the challenge with willpower rooted in its authentic identity and values, proving to the world its capability to turn challenges into opportunities during critical times.

"The UAE demonstrated that the impossible is possible by action manifested in the 83-hour journey of preparing and moving the Hope Probe from Dubai to the launch site in Tanegashima Island in Japan. The journey presented a success story in its own right ahead of the lift-off scheduled on July 15."

Al Mansoori added, "At the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, we are proud to be part of the Hope Probe project that reflects an integrated national effort and a long journey of achievements that started with the dream of the late UAE Founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to reach outer space. Our journey to space started with the inauguration of the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology, which aims to advance space science in the UAE and the region. The Institution’s programmes and projects later expanded and evolved into the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre that oversaw the execution, design and development of the probe at the hands of national expertise with the support of the UAE Space Agency, the overarching entity for space technologies in the country."

"The UAE was the first in the region to draft a law that regulated space activities in the country and set a national strategic plan to develop the sector and enhance investments. More importantly, the UAE has the biggest cadres of national scientists and engineers, relative to population, specialising in space science and technologies," he noted.

He praised the leadership’s support in advancing the country’s space sector. "When a country is ruled by leaders who see the future and invest in every individual as a precious resource, then we have to be confident that the future is brighter and better.''