Publicity stunt UAE before the release of the Hope probe into orbit around Mars

The two moons are part of a publicity stunt prepared by the UAE press service ahead of the launch of the Hope probe into orbit around Mars at a distance of about 500 million miles from Earth.

The two moons are Phibos and Deimos, two irregular moons orbiting Mars. The idea behind the trick was to simulate a view from the surface of Mars.

Khaled Al-Shehi, the UAE government media, said:

"The mission to Mars is one of the biggest challenges in the country's history and one of the UAE's boldest initiatives: space exploration. So, to draw attention to this important fact, there is nothing better than bringing two moons of Mars to Earth."

Next week, Hope will not land on Mars like NASA's Perseverance rover, but instead will spend time in orbit studying the weather on the Red Planet.