UAE Launches Rashid Rover to the Moon

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday successfully launched the Rashid moon rover on its first mission to the surface of the moon. The rover will provide “novel and highly valued data, images, and insights,” and will “collect scientific data on matters relating to the origin of the solar system, our planet, and life,” according to Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai. The UAE-made Rashid rover is set to arrive at Atlas crater on the moon aboard the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, made by ispace, a private Japanese company. It was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the United States. UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted after the launch that “Rashid rover is part of UAE’s ambitious space program, that started with Mars, passing through the moon, to Venus. Our goal is to transfer knowledge, develop our capabilities, and add a scientific footprint in human history.” According to an agreement that MBRSC signed in September with the China National Space Administration, the next UAE rover to land on the moon will be sent aboard the Chang’e-7, a planned robotic Chinese lunar exploration mission expected to be launched in 2026 to target the lunar south pole.