UAE's Hope probe: Emiratis, expats proud to witness historic launch

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Hope, Emiratis, UAE’s glorious history, historic Mars Mission, Astronomy Centre

Dubai - Residents brimmed with pride, saying the Mars mission opens a new chapter in the UAE's glorious history.

By Nandini Sircar

Published: Mon 20 Jul 2020, 4:49 AM

Last updated: Mon 20 Jul 2020, 4:01 PM

The day was all about Hope - and pride, as citizens and residents watched history unfold from Sunday until the early hours of Monday.
Emiratis brimmed with pride, saying the Mars mission opens a new chapter in the UAE's glorious history.
Mustafa Al Husseiny, an Emirati, said: "As citizens and residents we are proud to be part of this visionary and innovative era of the UAE's growth. No doubt, this will open a new chapter in the glorious history of the UAE, where new frontiers in space travel will be explored."

The #UAE's #HopeProbe lifted off from #Japan's #TanegashimaSpaceCentre on an H-IIA F42 rocket at 1.58am #UAE time. Here's how it happened: https://t.co/xxKzcYlZHr @HopeMarsMission #KTCelebratesHope pic.twitter.com/ZYA2UQ5Wa7
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) July 19, 2020

Al Husseiny, general manager of Golden Loaf, said he was particularly looking forward to the launch countdown that was done in Arabic. "It is a matter of honour that for the first time in history, Arabic numbers were used for such a countdown."
Shaneer Nusrat Siddiqui, former project coordinator at Al Thuraya Astronomy Centre, said this mission is "undoubtedly a matter of pride for all residents of the UAE".
"With the way the UAE is heading towards space science, the country is set to become a key player in space industry in the coming years. Especially from the education, commercial and business point of view, it is a very new industry and, definitely, the UAE is going to have a major share in this industry."
Interest in the UAE's space industry has spiked this year, Siddiqui said. "This Hope mission will be a push to the business with space-related technology."
nandini@khaleejtimes.com