After launching its mission to Mars successfully, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is setting its eye on another ambitious space target: flying to the Moon. The nation intends to send its first expedition to the Moon in November this year, 2022.
According to a report by UAE's The National News, the spacecraft, known as Rashid, will be deployed between November 9 and 15 from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in Florida.
When is the Exact Launch Date?
Dr. Hamad Al Marzooqi, mission manager at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said that the probe would be deployed on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and be placed into lunar orbit by a Japanese ispace lander.
However, officials have stated that the precise launch date will be revealed at a later time.
"We've finished with the testing of the rover and we are happy with the results. The rover has been integrated with the lander and it is ready for launch," Dr. Al Marzooqi said in a statement.
If the moon mission is successful, the UAE and Japan will join the ranks of the US, Russia, and China as countries that have sent a spacecraft to the lunar surface.
The mission is a part of the UAE's larger aim to become a key participant in the field of space research. The Rashid rover is planned to investigate the moon's surface, surface movement, and interactions between various surfaces and lunar particles.
Two high-resolution cameras, a probe, a tiny camera, a thermal imaging camera, and other gadgets will be carried by the 10-kilogram (22-pound) rover.
The Emirates space agency gained notoriety when it launched the Hope probe and succeeded in placing it in the Martian orbit during its first mission. Hence, this will be the country's second huge exploration.
The UAE also intends to build the most modern commercial satellite in the Middle East to create high-resolution satellite imagery. UAE also set an ambitious objective of creating a human colony on the Red Planet by 2117.
UAE Teams up with China
The announcement comes at the heels of the China National Space Agency (CNSA) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) signing a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on future moon missions last Friday, Sept. 16.
The UAE has made a deliberate effort to increase its space presence, as seen by the Emirates Lunar Mission and the recently announced collaboration with China.
For instance, in the fall of 2019, the country dispatched Hazza Al Mansouri, its first astronaut, to the International Space Station. Sultan AlNeyadi, another UAE astronaut, will go to the orbiting lab as part of SpaceX's Crew-6 mission for NASA next year and stay there for six months.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
