The Al Amal satellite launched by the United Arab Emirates has reached the Martian orbit after a seven-month-long journey. The spacecraft is the Muslim and Arab world’s first spacecraft to reach the Red Planet.

The satellite is programmed to collect data about the Martian atmosphere and climate and send it back to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai. The successful arrival of the satellite was greeted with celebration in the Middle East on Wednesday.

“To the people of the UAE, to the Arab and Muslim nations, we announce the successful arrival to Mars orbit. Praise be to God,” the project manager of the Emirates Mars Mission, Omran Sharaf, said.

The satellite traveled a total distance of more than 494 million kilometers. Before it arrived on Mars, it had traveled at a top speed of 121,000 kilometers per hour. The UAE Space Agency said that the probe should now be able to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere.

The satellite’s mission is to conduct a comprehensive study of Mar’s seasonal and weather cycles – including weather conditions in different regions of the planet.

Al Amal – which translates to “Hope” in English – was launched from earth in July 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The satellite reached space onboard a Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA launch vehicle.

The UAE Space Agency will be the fifth agency to successfully send a spacecraft to the Martian orbit. The other countries that have so far successfully sent a satellite are the United States, the Soviet Union, India, and China.