MM News

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made history by successfully launching the Muslim world’s first lunar rover Rashid. The Rashid Rover’s launch happened right on schedule at 11.38am (UAE time).

دولة الإمارات أطلقت اليوم المستكشف راشد بهدف الهبوط على سطح القمر.. لتكون الرابعة عالمياً والأولى عربياً التي تهبط على سطح القمر في حال تكللت المهمة بالنجاح بإذن الله وتوفيقه.. pic.twitter.com/my6vAPJptx

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) December 11, 2022

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, were in the control room of the UAE’s space agency to watch.

Also rea: UAE to launch unmanned spacecraft to moon in 2024

“Reaching the moon is another milestone in the ambitious march of a country and a nation whose aspirations have no limits,” Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter.

“Rashid Rover is part of UAE’s ambitious space programme that started with Mars passing through the Moon and to Venus.

Also read: UAE selects first Arab woman astronaut

“Passing on knowledge, developing our capabilities, and adding a scientific footprint in human history is or goal.”

Skies lit up across the launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with 163 tonnes of thrust to deliver the Rashid rover to a lunar transfer orbit in space. The small rover is now on its way to the Moon aboard the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, built by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace, on a journey that is expected to last five months.

البث المباشر لانطلاق مشروع الإمارات لاستكشاف القمر "المستكشف راشد"، أول مهمة إماراتية إلى سطح القمر.#مشروع_الإمارات_لاستكشاف_القمر #الإمارات_إلى_القمر https://t.co/QyXfd5hFKq

— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) December 11, 2022

The launch of the Emirati-built Rashid rover will help to pave the way for the UAE’s long-term Moon exploration programme. The four-wheel rover, weighing only 10 kilograms, has been built by engineers from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. A core team of 11 are behind the mission’s development and have been working on it since 2017.

Also read: UAE set to make history with launch of Mars probe