Arab Spacecraft Enters Orbit Around Mars in Historic Flight
A screen broadcasts the launch of the "Hope" Mars probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, in July 2020.
Photographer: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.
Ground controllers at the UAE’s space center in Dubai rose to their feet and broke into applause when word came that the craft, called Amal, Arabic for Hope, had reached the end of its seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet, where it will gather data on Mars’ atmosphere.