The H2A rocket carrying the Hope explorer lifted off at
The Hope explorer, developed at Mohammed bin
The explorer, measuring 2.9 meters in length and 8 meters in width when its solar panels are fully extended and weighing 1.5 tons, will research the temperature and moisture of the Martian atmosphere to study changes over a long period in the climate of the red planet.
It will stay 20,000 to 40,000 km above Mars and orbit the planet every 55 hours.
The liftoff of the Mars orbiter was initially scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed due to bad weather at the launch site.
Project manager
He also expressed gratitude for
The most recent project is the fourth in which Mitsubishi Heavy has conducted launches for overseas customers. It worked with
Monday's liftoff marked the 36th consecutive successful H2A rocket launch.
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source