All About ‘Rashid’, the Emirati-Made Rover Destined for the Moon
As a continuation to the accomplishments that the UAE is achieving in the space sector, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of the Emirates Lunar Mission, the first Emirati and Arab mission to explore the moon.
The Emirates Lunar Mission is a 100% Emirati-made lunar rover that will land on the surface of the moon by 2024 in places that were never reached by any of the previous exploration missions. If successful, the UAE will become the first Arab country and the fourth country in the world to send a mission to explore the moon. This mission is a major step towards building the first human settlement on Mars in 2117.
As the project is part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre’s new strategy 2021-2031, the design of the Lunar Rover is set to be complete by 2021, the rover will be manufactured in 2022, while preliminary experiments and tests of the prototype are expected to start in 2023, aiming to launch the rover by 2024.
The rover was named after the late Sheikh Rashid to honour his vision to develop Dubai.
