The UAE Space Agency announced today that the Emirates Mars Mission, known as the “Hope Probe,” will continue its scientific journey for an additional three years, extending the mission through 2028.
Since its launch, the probe’s instruments have performed at a high level, allowing it to continue gathering precise data on Mars’ atmosphere and climate phenomena.
The decision to extend the mission reflects the probe’s exceptional performance and promises to deliver valuable scientific data and operational experience for current and future deep-space missions.
The continuation of the mission will provide unique insights into the Martian atmosphere and contribute to global planetary science research.
Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of Sports and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, emphasized that the extension demonstrates the country’s commitment to advancing scientific knowledge, contributing responsibly to global research, and applying space science to benefit humanity.
He highlighted the probe’s role in enhancing understanding of climate change and building a knowledge-based economy grounded in innovation.
Dr. Al Falasi described the Hope Probe as a long-term strategic initiative, reflecting the UAE leadership’s vision of the space sector as a cornerstone for sustainable economic development, national talent empowerment, and maximizing scientific returns from strategic investments.
He noted that since the probe entered Mars’ orbit in 2021, UAE scientific outputs have grown significantly.
The national space ecosystem has tripled in size between 2020 and 2025, with substantial expansion in research and development.
Additionally, the number of UAE universities offering aerospace programs and specialized space degrees doubled over the past decade, supporting the development of national expertise.
The Hope Probe’s instruments, including the Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI), the Emirates Mars InfraRed Spectrometer (EMIRS), and the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS), remain fully operational.
They provide high-precision measurements of the Martian atmosphere and seasonal climate variations.
The probe recently conducted observations beyond Mars, targeting the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
In October 2025, it captured visible and ultraviolet images of the comet, marking it as only the third interstellar object ever recorded.
On October 3, 2025, the comet passed within 0.2 astronomical units of Mars (approximately 30 million kilometers), giving the Hope Probe a unique observational vantage point.
Since its launch, the Hope Probe has released over 10 terabytes of public scientific data, including 16 public data releases.
Its team has published more than 35 peer-reviewed research papers and contributed to international conferences with over 250 presentations.
The mission has also trained 58 Emirati students through university research programs, fostering the next generation of space scientists.
The probe has captured high-resolution images of Mars’ small, distant moon Deimos and discovered two new types of aurora on the Red Planet, providing important scientific contributions to the global research community.
The extended mission will continue to collect and analyze data to support international Mars research while further developing UAE national expertise in managing and operating advanced space missions.
Researchers and students will benefit from a growing knowledge base, ensuring that the UAE remains a leading contributor to global space exploration.
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