Mall of the Emirates turns red as the Hope Probe nears Mars

With the United Arab Emirates on the verge of making history — the country is set to become the fifth nation to attempt to enter Mars’ orbit — Mall of the Emirates has been lit up in red in colourful tribute to the record-setting Hope Probe. Ski Dubai has also been celebrating the Probe’s expected arrival by lighting up its slope on Tuesday.

Having set off for the Red Planet on 20 July 2020, the Emirates Mars Mission “Hope Probe” is set to reach its destination at 7.30pm on Tuesday 9 February 2021. The UAE’s first mission to Mars, the “Hope Probe” has been launched to provide the first-ever complete picture of the Martian atmosphere and its layers.

In anticipation of the probe’s expected arrival, Mall of the Emirates’ famous globe — as well as the exterior of the mall — will be lit up in red; the very colour of its intended destination, Mars. The mall is one of several landmarks across the UAE, including Dubai’s the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah’s Flag Island Building, to pay bright homage to the historic mission.

VOX Cinemas will be live broadcasting the Hope Probe’s entry into Mars’ orbit on Tuesday from 6-9pm at cinemas across the UAE, including Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Sharjah, City Centre Ajman, City Centre Fujairah, and Al Hamra Ras Al Khaimah. Guests will be able to watch the historic moment for free and tickets can be booked online through the VOX Cinemas website.

Fuad Sharaf, Managing Director for U.A.E. Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said: “From the very moment it set off from Tanegashima Island in Japan on July 20, 2020, the Emirates Mars Mission has been blazing a path of innovation and progress. The mission is an example of Emirati excellence, and testament to the power of hope and optimism. I, like the rest of my colleagues and the wider Majid Al Futtaim family, am heartened by the mission and have been keenly charting its journey. All of us at Mall of the Emirates are proud to pay homage to the mission — the brilliant and adventurous engineers, men and women, who are coursing their way to history. I hope people across Dubai and the UAE will join us in celebrating Hope Probe’s safe and expected arrival.”

The Emirates Mars Mission is expected to contribute to a greater understanding of climate dynamics and the global weather map by characterising the lower atmosphere of Mars. It will also go some way to explaining how the weather changes the escape of Hydrogen and Oxygen through correlating the lower atmosphere conditions with the upper atmosphere. The mission will also provide further insight into the structure and variability of Hydrogen and Oxygen in the upper atmosphere, while identifying why Mars is losing them into space.