"The UAE is always looking forward to the future; it is our wonderful partner. The important part is that they are not doing this [Hope Probe] for themselves but for the region and the entire world", Di Pippo said.
According to the official, the mission shows that "the UAE is becoming really a main player in the space arena". The UN agency, therefore, is waiting for the Mars probe's launch with "excitement".
"It is very interesting that a country that did not have a space programme or a space agency until a just a few years ago, is now able to launch a probe to Mars", Di Pippo noted.
The mission, also known as Hope Probe, is set to lift off from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center at 01:58 a.m. UAE time on Monday (21:58 GMT on Sunday).
The Hope spacecraft was delivered to the Tanegashima spaceport back in April. The mission's main goal is to study the atmosphere and climate of Mars.