Dubai: The most difficult part is over — Hope Probe has successfully entered Mars and will soon transition to its Science phase to begin its core mission of studying the atmosphere of the Red Planet.
On Wednesday, a day after the successful Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI), Omran Sharaf, Emirates Mars Mission Project Director, met the press and said the orbiter is in good health. “We have checked Hope Probe this morning and all subsystems are working fine. We have finished the most critical and harsh operation (MOI) and we have begun the transition from MOI to orbit phase,” he said.
After Hope Probe’s successfully orbit entry, scientists and engineers will spend two months testing the spacecraft and its on-board scientific instruments before the orbiter will transition to its science orbit. The transition from capture orbit to science orbit will happen for two months. During this phase, all instruments on board Hope Probe will be calibrated to ensure data that will collected are accurate. The ground control at Mohamme bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) will conduct Three Transition to Science (TTS) manoeuvres to move the probe from its capture to science orbit.