Hope Probe completes first major space manoeuvre

The UAE's Hope Probe is on a new course for Mars after it's first successful trajectory correction manoeuvre (TCM1).

It's seen as a major milestone for the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) to allow it to smoothly continue on its 7-month journey to the Red Planet.

"TCM1 was a major milestone for us, not only because it is the first time we have deployed the spacecraft’s Delta-V thrusters, but also because it defines our path to cruise Mars," said EMM Project Director Omran Sharaf.

"Hope has exceeded our expectations and is now on target to reach its Mars Orbit Insertion, MOI, requiring less adjustment to its course than we had originally planned."

Following the successful launch from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan on July 20, the probe will make around 7-course corrections in its 493 million km journey to Mars. 

Missions like these are typically launched on an initial flight path which is corrected as tests confirm the spacecraft is performing normally, a procedure that mitigates the chance of an unplanned crash.

The mission is being carried out by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, in conjunction with its partners and funded by the UAE Space Agency.