A United Arab Emirates spacecraft, named Hope, launched early Monday from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center, marking the start of the Arab world's first mission to Mars, EDNews.net reports citing Deutsche Welle.
The orbiter is expected to reach its destination in February 2021, and is scheduled to spend at least two years circling the Red Planet. The unmanned probe is carrying instruments that will allow it to study the upper atmosphere and gather information about climate change on Mars.
According to the UAE, the mission will provide the first complete picture of the planet's atmosphere during different seasons.
The Hope orbiter, carried by a Japanese rocket, had been scheduled to liftoff on July 14, but the launch was delayed twice due to bad weather.