TOKYO, July 20 (NNN-NHK) – Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. today launched a rocket, carrying a Mars orbiter developed by the United Arab Emirates.
At 6:58 a.m. local time, the H2A rocket, carrying the Hope explorer, blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
The 1.5-tonne Hope explorer, which measures 2.9 metres in length and 2.37 metres in width, was developed at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. It is expected to reach orbit around Mars in 2021, to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the UAE.
The launch was originally set for last Wednesday, but was postponed due to bad weather at the launch site.
It is the fourth time for the Japanese company to use the H2A rocket to launch a foreign satellite into space. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, officials in Minamitane Town, where the launch pad is located, have closed areas normally reserved for people to watch a rocket launch.– NNN-NHK
