The first Arab space mission to Mars, an unmanned probe called "Hope", took off from Japan on Monday, in an attempt to reveal more about the Red Planet's atmosphere.
The Japanese rocket carrying the probe developed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan at just the scheduled time at 6:58 am local time (2158 GMT Sunday).
The launch of the probe, known as "Al-Amal" in Arabic, had been delayed twice due to bad weather, but Monday's takeoff appeared to be smooth and successful.
Almost exactly an hour later, a live broadcast showed people clapping in the Japanese control room when the probe successfully went offline.
"The launch vehicle's trajectory was executed as planned and the separation of the Hope spacecraft confirmed," said rocket maker Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In Dubai, the launch met with enthusiastic excitement, with the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, lit up hours before takeoff with a symbolic 10-second countdown in anticipation.
"This mission is an important milestone for the UAE and the region," Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, director of the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, said at a post-launch press conference in Japan.
"It has already inspired millions of young people in the region to dream big and work hard to achieve what seems impossible," he said.
From NDTV News
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