Video: Arabic countdown by global stars celebrates UAE Mars mission

The first planetary science mission from the UAE and the Arab world will blast-off from the Tanegashima Space Centre, Japan.

A Staff Reporter

Published: Mon 13 Jul 2020, 7:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 14 Jul 2020, 8:54 AM

The buzz around the #FirstArabicCountdown in space exploration history just got a celebrity twist. Global stars have come together for a video that shows them do the countdown in Arabic ahead of the actual one that will launch the UAE's Mars probe on July 15.

With a voice that will make history, the Hope Probe to Mars, will be launched with the #FirstArabicCountdown ever. Join the UAE on July 15, 2020 for this historic moment. https://t.co/aB4KfdRqcH pic.twitter.com/IQ3APJzC3z
- Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 13, 2020

A video tweeted by the Government of Dubai Media Office on Monday shows Egyptian actor-comedian Ahmed Helmy; Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez; Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama; Brazilian football player David Lewis; British-Indian vlogger Jay Shetty; entrepreneur Gary Fee; and Pakistani writer and actress Muniba Mazari do the countdown.
#FirstArabicCountdown started trending on Twitter after the Dubai Media Office announced that the countdown to launch the Hope probe would be in Arabic.
The first planetary science mission from the UAE and the Arab world will blast-off from the Tanegashima Space Centre, Japan, on July 15. The Hope probe will go into orbit in February 2021 and will study how the upper atmosphere of Mars is affected by its lower atmosphere.
sahim@khaleejtimes.com