If it takes seven months to travel to Mars, and if three countries launched last July - yes, spacecraft of three different nations will arrive this month at Mars. The planet will not be this close again for another two years.
The first is already there, in orbit since last Tuesday. It's the first interplanetary venture of the United Arab Emirates (website), launched from a space center in Japan on July 20.
Their 2-4-year mission is to study the global atmosphere of Mars from orbit, in keeping with goals identified by the Mars Exploration Program Advisory Group.
Beyond getting valuable information, however, "Hope Probe" is meant to inspire a generation of Arab scientists. On their website: "From our pursuit to find extra-terrestrial life to someday expand human civilization to other planets, Mars serves as a long-term and collaborative project for the entire human race."
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