UAE team preparing for moon mission
Lunar rover launch date is set for Nov 22 or later
Ateam from Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is now at Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida for the launch of UAE-made Rashid Rover to moon later this month.
MBRSC director general Salem Al Marri tweeted: “In Florida this week with our team, we are preparing for the launch of the 1st Emirati mission to the Moon. We will also attend the #Artemis1 launch and we are preparing with Nasa for Sultan Al Neyadi’s launch next year.”
Journey to the moon
The Emirati lunar rover will be delivered to the lunar surface by Japanese lander Hakuto-R
M1, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will lift off from Cape Canaveral on November 22 or at a later date from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Previously, a launch window between November 9 to 15 was given, but Tokyo-based space company ispace, creator of Hakuto-R, said “a new date would allow for best preparation, when considering the fuel-loading schedule for the lander and launch date availability.”
Designed and developed fully by an Emirati team, Rashid Rover is said to be the world’s most compact rover to land on the moon. Its primary goal is to study the moon’s plasma and to provide answers about moon dust, the lunar surface, mobility on the moon’s surface, and how different surfaces interact with lunar particles.
Rashid Rover has 3D cameras, advanced motion system, sensors, communication system that are powered by solar panels.