First-ever Arab-Built lunar spacecraft successfully launched by UAE

Current Affairs

  • A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket yesterday carried into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft. It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
  • The Rashid Rover was built by Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace.
  • Lunar Rover has been built at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai. This lunar vehicle will reach the moon around April 2023.
  • According to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the Lunar Rover Rashid will provide extremely valuable data and images. It will also collect scientific data on matters related to the origin of the solar system, our planet and life.
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister, tweeted after the launch that “Rashid rover is part of UAE’s ambitious space programme, which began with Mars, progressed to the Moon, and soon to Venus. Our next step is bigger and higher.”
  • In September, MBRSC signed an agreement with China National Space Administration to have joint space explorations, including sending the next UAE rover aboard the Chang’e-7 to land on the moon, which is reportedly planned to launch in 2026.

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