Pakistan congratulates UAE leadership, people over successful Mars mission: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday congratulated the leadership and people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the success of the Emirate’s Mars mission, Hope Probe, ARY NEWS reported quoting foreign office spokesman.

According to a message shared from the official Twitter account of the spokesman of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, the successful Mars mission was a testament to the vision of the UAE leadership, and pride for its people, as well as Muslim Ummah.

Congratulations to the leadership and people of the UAE on the outstanding success of Emirates’ Mars Mission #HopeProbe – a testament to the vision of the UAE leadership, and a pride for its people, as well as Muslim Ummah.@MoFAICUAE

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) February 10, 2021

It is pertinent to mention here that the United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million km journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate.

This makes the UAE the fifth space agency to reach the planet. The Mars programme is part of the UAE’s efforts to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The UAE Space Agency even has a plan for a Mars settlement by 2117.

“Contact with #HopeProbe has been established again. The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete,” the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said.

The attempt to lock into orbit around Mars had a 50% chance of failing, Dubai’s ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Tuesday.

“This is the farthest point in the universe to be reached by Arabs throughout their history … Our goal is to give hope to all Arabs that we are capable of competing with the rest of the world,” he said.