THE UAE’s Rashid rover is preparing for a historic landing on the moon three months after it blasted off into space.
Whether the UAE’s first moon mission will succeed or fail, Emirati engineers vowed that it will not be their last attempt, but instead, it will mark the beginning of their future explorations to the earth’s only natural satellite.
On December 11, 2022, the UAE leaders and the entire nation witnessed the historic launching of the Rashid Rover on board a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of the ambitious Emirates Lunar Mission.
Named after the former ruler of Dubai, the Rashid rover will attempt to land at the Atlas Crater region at the end of April 2023 although Emirati engineers prepared three backup sites as a precaution.
Lunar landings are a difficult feat to achieve, with more than half of attempts known to have failed in the past.
Unlike the Earth or Mars, the Moon does not have an atmosphere, so complex maneuvers are required to reduce the speed of the lander to make sure it will land softly and safely on the surface.
Emirates Lunar Mission manager Hamad Al Marzooqi acknowledged that the ambitious lunar mission is a risky business but said Emirati engineers will not hesitate to try for the second and third time in case the trial failed.
“It’s a risky business, but again, it’s not the end. At MBRSC, we have plans for what’s next. If we can call it a trial, yes, maybe it’s a trial. But, again, we will have a second and third,” said Hamad Al Marzooqi, Emirates Lunar Mission Manager.
So far, only the US, the former Soviet Union, and China have achieved soft landings on the moon’s surface.
Upon landing, the Rashid rover will operate for 15 days, and during this period, Emirati engineers will have the chance to study the properties of lunar soil, the petrography and geology of the Moon, dust movement, and its surface plasma conditions, among others.
Once the Rashid rover successfully lands on the moon’s surface next month, the historic achievement will make UAE the first Arab country and the fourth country in the world to make a soft landing on the lunar surface, after the United States, Soviet Union, and China.
