Dubai - The Hope probe is currently cruising at 121,000km/h towards Mars.
The photo shows an oval shaped Mars as the brightest spot among other celestial bodies. The image is titled 'First Mars sighting by Hope probe (taken by star trackers)' and labels the Red Planet.
Sheikh Mohammed tweeted he had received the Hope probe's first sighting of Mars after the spacecraft travelled one million km into space. "Beyond the sky is where our dreams start," he said.
The UAE ushered in a new dawn of Hope when it launched the Arab world's first interplanetary mission on July 20 from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Launched at 1.58am, the Hope probe is currently cruising at 121,000km/h towards Mars and is expected to get into its orbit around the Red Planet in February 2021.
We received the Hope probe's first sighting of its destination, Mars, after the spacecraft travelled one million km into space. Beyond the sky is where our dreams start. pic.twitter.com/jN7MBxKa7U
- HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) July 22, 2020