Dubai: After making history last year by sending the first Emirati Astronaut, Hazza Al Maansouri to the International Space Station, the United Arab Emirates Space programme is now fixing its focus on Mars with the Hope Mars Mission.

Omran Sharaf, Project Manager of Emirates Mars Mission and Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences spoke exclusively to Euronews, Europe’s number one international news channel, and the first international media outlet to be allowed into the clean room, about the probe. Set to orbit the red planet later this year, the Hope Mars Mission aims to provide a better understanding about climate change, and increase human knowledge about the Martian atmosphere.

In an interview exclusive to Euronews, Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, UAE commented: “What the Emirates Mars mission will provide is actual data throughout an entire year, everywhere in Mars. Now why is that important? Climate change is one of the reasons that Mars has transformed and understanding better the weather dynamics and the atmospheric changes on Mars gives us one piece of the puzzle on what happened to Mars,why has it got into the state that it's at today;  and that will even allow us to better understand climate change on Earth, and what usually naturally happens when it comes to climate change.

She added: “So eventually, when we send humans to Mars this will provide us with a better understanding on what will be faced.” (sic)

The probe will study the climate daily and through seasonal cycles, and weather in the lower atmosphere such as dust storms, as well as the weather on Mars's different geographic areas. It will attempt to answer the scientific questions about Mars’ drastic climate changes, and in turn provide us with more knowledge and information about the climate change happening on earth.

Omran Sharaf, Project Manager of Emirates Mars Mission commented: “The UAE government wanted to see a big shift in the ecosystem that we have when it comes to building a creative, competitive and innovative knowledge-based economy.  And it looked at space as a mean to do that and Emirates Mars mission is the catalyst for that big shift and change. It’s about addressing our national challenges when it comes to water, food and energy resources. And it’s about generating knowledge that will serve humanity.

The Hope mission is being carried out by a team of Emirati engineers in collaboration with foreign research institutions. Scheduled to reach Mars in July 2021 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates’ formation, reaching Mars will mean big changes for the UAE back on Earth.

Commenting on success of the mission, Sarah Al Amiri  said: “That’s something unlike anything that we’ve ever dreamt or realised we can dream of working on. It’s the final countdown, we’re getting to launch in July. It’s the challenges of getting into Mars’ orbit and the exciting part is finding new findings, new science and new results.” (sic)

The full interview, exclusive to Euronews, is available to watch on  Sci-tech, the programme  that keeps you up to date with the latest science and hi-tech news and scientific developments. https://www.euronews.com/programs/sci-tech

Euronews is Europe's number one international news channel, currently delivering 24/7 news to almost 400 million TV households in 160 countries. Euronews reaches 141 million people every month and is available in 12 distinct language editions and has a strong presence on digital platforms.

Ends

For more information please contact:

Plus 1 Communications / Jenna Stirland / jenna@plus1comms.com  / +971 56 892 6609

About Euronews

Euronews is the number one international news channel in Europe. Its mission is to empower people to form their own opinion. Euronews is unapologetically impartial and seeks to offer a diversity of viewpoints: Euronews is “All Views”.

Since its launch in 1993 in Lyon (France), Euronews has been delivering impartial news trusted by audiences across the world, available in almost 400 million homes across 160 countries, including 67% of homes in the European Union. It reaches 141 million people every month.

In 2017, Euronews renewed its offer by launching 12 distinct language editions, with a “glocal” approach to news: Euronews continues to grow as a global media offering content adapted to the expectations of local audiences. Aside from round-the-clock news coverage, Euronews has dedicated shows covering topics like science, climate, business, current affairs and culture, both on television and on its digital platforms. 

With a team of 500 journalists of more than 30 different nationalities, Euronews' 12 editions cover European and world news 24/7 in Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.  With its headquarters in Lyon, Euronews also has bureaus in Brussels, Athens and Budapest, correspondents across Europe and beyond, as well as commercial offices in London, Paris, Berlin, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. In 2018 and 2019, it launched three franchise projects: Euronews Albania, Euronews Georgia and Euronews Serbia.

In 2016, Euronews group launched its sister channel, the first pan-African multilingual and independent news outlet, Africanews. From Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, a team of 85 professionals from 15 nationalities produce rolling news simultaneously in English and French.

In June 2017, NBC News and Euronews announced a partnership. NBC News acquired 25% of the company to make a significant financial investment in Euronews to support expanded news coverage and programming, allowing in particular the development of Euronews’ English language edition, which offers today 17 hours of anchored shows, every weekday.

 www.euronews.com      www.africanews.com 

© Press Release 2020

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.