The United Arab Emirates hopes to join the small list of countries that have successfully sent a spacecraft to Mars this week as its Hope orbiter is set to arrive Tuesday.
This is a big step for a relatively new space program and young country with big ambitions. The UAE Amal, which means Hope in Arabic, probe launched in July on a Japanese rocket.
After a seven-month journey, the most critical phase, orbital insertion, happens Tuesday. Hope is designed to orbit Mars and study the Martian atmosphere using three scientific instruments on board the spacecraft.
The plan for the spacecraft is to enter a high orbit between 13,500 by 27,000 miles high. From this vantage point, the spacecraft will observe the weather down on Mars.