DUBAI 6 May 2020: Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum conducted a video conference meeting with the Hope Probe team at the Tanegashima Space Centre, Japan. He was briefed on the preparations for the Emirates Mars Mission.
Sheikh Hamdan reviewed the preparations for the probe mission to be launched in July. The preparations for the mission launch will take place over a 50-day period.
The Dubai Crown Prince praised the efforts of the Hope Probe team and the young Emirati professionals who worked on the project. The successful transfer of the probe from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to its launch site in Tanegashima Space Centre proved their high level of expertise, he said. The transfer of the probe was made possible through 83 hours of nonstop work, said Wam.
Sheikh Hamdan praised the team for their efforts and said they have demonstrated to the world that nothing is impossible and that they can overcome any challenges caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Three-phase Transfer
During the remote meeting, the team briefed Sheikh Hamdan about various aspects of the preparations for the Probe and the challenges the team overcame to transfer the Probe from Dubai to Japan.
The transfer of the Probe from Dubai to Japan was completed in three phases. The first stage featured the transportation of the Probe from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre to the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, which lasted 12 hours, starting at 8 am and ending at 8 pm It included the preparation and loading of the shipping container specially designed for the probe, and rehabilitating it with all the required equipment to transform it into a clean mini-mobile room that maintains a specified temperature and humidity. During this stage, the team used nitrogen to disinfect the probe and sensitive scientific devices.
This was followed by loading the mechanical ground support equipment that provided probe- supporting devices to help in the process of moving it and electronic support equipment to help monitor the state of the Probe during the flight. Then, it was transported in a special freight container on a truck that travelled at a specified slow speed to reduce vibrations. On arrival at the airport, the probe was loaded on the plane to Japan.
The second phase featured the transfer of theprobe from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai to Nagoya Airport in Japan. It included loading the probe and ground support equipment onto a giant Antonov 124 logistical transport plane, the largest cargo plane in the world, specially designed for the shipment of mega equipment. The flight to transport the Probe to Japan was completed in 11 hours. During this phase, the team monitored the intensity of air bumps during the plane journey to defuse any risk of damage to the structure of the Probe from severe vibrations. The team accompanying the probe delivered the Probe to the team in Japan upon arrival at Nagoya Airport.
The third stage featured the probe’s transport from Nagoya Airport to the launch site on Tanegashima Island. In this phase, the team focused on ensuring the safety of the Probe during its transportation by land from Nagoya Airport to the port of Shimama, and finally, its transportation by sea from the port of Shimama to Tanegashima Island. After arriving at the island, the team at the launch site worked to unload and check the probe ahead of the start of launch preparations.
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