The UAE's first space mission saw the spacecraft 'Hope' enter the orbit of which planet in 2021?

The 'Emirates Mars Mission', a United Arab Emirates (UAE) space exploration mission to Mars, saw the uncrewed spacecraft 'Hope' reach Mars on 9th February 2021. 'Hope' was launched on 19th July 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

The mission is led by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The spacecraft was created by MBRSC with help from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. Additional support was received from Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of California.

The spacecraft will study daily and seasonal weather cycles across the surface of Mars. It will also record rates of atmospheric hydrogen and oxygen loss, which may be behind the planet's drastic climate changes.

'Hope' was one of three space missions launched in 2020. China and the USA also launched missions but the 'Emirates Mars Mission' was the first of the three to arrive in Mars' orbit.

The UAE is the first Arab country and the fifth country to reach Mars. It is also the second country to successfully enter Mars' orbit on its first attempt.