The United Arab Emirates’ Hope space probe has captured unprecedented images of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos, shedding new light on the origin of the mysterious satellite. The probe, which has been orbiting Mars for two years, came within 110 kilometres of Deimos, a rocky object just 12 kilometres wide. The probe sent back to Earth the most precise images and observations of the moon ever captured, using instruments that measure the infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. It also observed for the first time the far side of the moon, revealing regions whose compositions have never been studied. The probe could prompt new debate over how exactly the strange moons ended up in the Martian orbit. One leading theory is that the two moons were once asteroids passing by when they were unexpectedly captured into the orbit of Mars. However, the UAE’s close observations of Deimos so far point to a planetary origin. The UAE Space Agency announced that it was extending the mission for another year, during which Hope will continue to fly past Deimos and collect more data. The UAE is also planning to land an uncrewed rover on the Moon next year.
