The United Arab Emirates is preparing to launch its first spacecraft to the moon next November, thus joining a series of scientific achievements related to space. Hamad Al-Marzuk, the director of the UAE Lunar Exploration Project, told "The National" newspaper that the rover "Rashid" will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida between November 9 and 15. The spacecraft will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is set to land on the moon using a Japanese landing vehicle in March.
The newspaper quoted Al-Marzuk as saying, "We have completed testing the rover, and we are happy with the results. The rover has been integrated with the probe and is ready for launch." The lunar mission is part of the UAE's broader strategy to become a key player in space exploration. If successful, the UAE will join Japan, the United States, Russia, and China, which are the only countries to have landed a spacecraft on the moon.
An Emirati satellite is already orbiting Mars to study the atmosphere of the red planet. The UAE partnered with Japanese Heavy Industries Mitsubishi to launch this satellite, which entered Mars orbit in February 2021. The "Rashid" rover is expected to study the lunar surface and move around to understand how different surfaces interact with lunar particles. The rover, weighing ten kilograms, will be equipped with two high-resolution cameras, a microscopic camera, a thermal imaging camera, a probe, and other devices. The UAE plans to develop the most advanced commercial satellites in the Middle East to produce high-resolution images from space.
