UAE’s Mars Mission Makes History, Enters Orbit  

The United Arab Emirates made history late Tuesday night, when the Hope Probe launched by the Gulf state seven months ago reached planet Mars after a 307 million mile journey. The UAE is now the first Arab nation to enter a probe into the red planet’s orbit, and only the fifth country ever to do so. Its national space program, established less than four years ago, spent over $200 million on the project, managing a successful liftoff from a Japanese space center in July. The Hope mission is expected to be joined by two additional American and Chinese probes, scheduled to arrive later this month. According to Abu Dhabi’s space agency, the UAE is developing plans for a Mars settlement as early as 2117. Also on Tuesday, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed his own space plans, announcing preparations for a moon landing by a Turkish rocket in 2023. Last month, Erdogan spoke with Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk regarding possible cooperation in space technology.