Sheikh Mohammed announces the successful launch of Rashid Rover to the Moon

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, announced the successful launch of the Rashid Rover to the surface of the Moon, a mission that is the first in the Arab world and the fourth in the world.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid took to Twitter and said, “Today, the UAE launched the explorer Rashid, with the aim of landing on the surface of the moon.

“Reaching the moon means reaching an exceptional station in the ambitious march of a country and a people whose aspirations have no ceiling.

“Explorer Rashid is part of an ambitious space programme for the UAE… that started with Mars... passing through the moon... to Venus... our goal is to transfer knowledge, develop our capabilities, and add a scientific footprint in human history.”

Sheikh Hamdan said on Twitter, “Our next stop is 384,400km away. We look forward to Rashid leaving an Arab footprint on the surface of the Moon. We thank Team @MBRSpaceCentre for the launch of the Rashid Rover and for raising the UAE flag in space.”

The “Falcon 9” rocket launched at 11:38 am UAE time, making history and a new mark for the country in the field of space exploration.

The Rashid Rover was launched from Complex No. 40 of Cape Canaveral Space Base in Florida.

The mission to explore the moon puts the UAE in an advanced position in space exploration and providing answers to humanity, especially since the explorer will land in an area that has not been trodden by previous missions, which is the Atlas crater, which is also called the "Sea of Cold."

SpaceX worked to launch the explorer inside the Japanese lander, HAKUTO-R, aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is a reusable two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transportation of people and payloads to Earth's orbit and beyond. It is also the world's first reusable orbital rocket.

Reusability allows SpaceX to re-fly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn lowers the cost of getting into space.
Rashid Rover will land in the "Marie Frigoris" area, specifically the "Atlas Crater" area as a main landing site, while this site is considered safe and provides an important scientific value, as the ground station team at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center can direct it according to the ease and difficulty of the terrain and the importance of the area to be desired.