The United Arab Emirates’ Rashid Rover has become the Arab world’s first mission to the Moon.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft successfully took off on December 11 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Rashid Rover was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace.
The launch was overseen by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, who were present in the control room.
“Reaching the moon is another milestone in the ambitious march of a country and a nation whose aspirations have no limits. Rashid Rover is part of UAE’s ambitious space program that started with Mars passing through the Moon and to Venus. ur goal is to increase our knowledge, enhance our capabilities, and leave a scientific legacy in the history of space and humanity” he said.
Highlights of the mission:
- Developed 100% by Emirati engineers, the Emirates Lunar Mission is the first Arab mission to the Moon.
- The mission will study different aspects of the lunar surface, including lunar soil, thermal properties of surface structures, and the lunar photoelectron sheath.
- Landing in the unexplored area of the lunar surface, Atlas crater, the mission will take high-resolution pictures and provide novel data.
- The rover will test new technologies, systems and exploration techniques in the Moon’s harsh environment.