At the Dubai Future Forum last night, Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Salem Al Marri announced that the UAE will embark on its first mission to the Moon next month.
The space centre will deploy its lunar rover, Rashid to the Moon in order to gain a better understanding of how lunar dust and rocks vary across the surface.
Rashid’s specifications
“During its mission, the Lunar Rover will conduct numerous scientific tests on the surface of the Moon that will contribute to making qualitative developments in the fields of science, communication technologies, and robotics. Furthermore, the impact of these developments will extend beyond the space sector and into various vital sectors in the national and global economy.” said the MBRSC on its website.
The rover is named after His Highness, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, former Ruler of Dubai and the second Prime Minister of the UAE. He is hailed for transforming Dubai from a small cluster of settlements, into a modern metropolis.
Completely designed by an Emirati team, Rashid will be the ‘world’s most compact rover’ to land on the moon.
“The lunar mission will engineer a new scientific reality for Emiratis and pave the way for more space exploration missions by MBRSC. This mission also exemplifies the nation’s spirit of innovation and scientific progress, while also contributing to global space science research and explorations.” said Al Marri.
Rashid rover launch details
Speaking to Gulf News, the Director General stated that the launch is scheduled to take place between November 9 and 15. The Rashid Rover will be launching from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at its Space Launch Complex 40. It will blast off into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Once the Rashid Rover is moon-bound, lunar exploration company Japan-based ispace Inc will be in charge of landing the rover on the Moon’s surface, as it is part of their Hakuto-R programme. The MBRSC had signed a contract with ispace who will provide payload delivery services for the Emirates lunar mission.
Al Marri confirms that so far, the mission launch is unaffected by Hurricane Ian which is causing serious damage in the sunshine state.
“Nothing has changed as of now.”
His Highness, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council thanked the MBRSC for developing the lunar rover and is looking forward to it’s launch next month.