UAE moon mission: Rashid rover all set to make history

The UAE's historic Moon mission has now completed its launch preparations. According to Japanese space inc (ispace) HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar landerhas been integrated into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will land the Rashid Rover on the Moon. The first successful milestone has been reached which is the completion of launch preparations.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has made an announcement that the mission would launch on Wednesday, 30 November at 12.39 pm UAE time.

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The founder and CEO of ispace, Takeshi Hakamada said about the mission, "We are pleased to have finished the first phase of Mission 1 with the finalpreparations before launch completed". The mission will take off from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

After launching, the spacecraft will take a low-energy route to the Moon rather than a direct approach, and will land five months after the launch,that is in April 2023. This mission's success will make the UAE the fourth country in the world to land on the Moon.

Watch the launch of the UAE moon mission here:

The primary landing site of the Rashid rover is the Atlas Crater on the southern-eastern outer edge of mare Frigoris. A 'mare' is a term used to describe aflat, dark plain on the lunar surface. The site is located on the Moon's far north side and has not been explored yet.

The Rashid rover weighs 10 kg and is named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who was the former ruler ofDubai. The Rashid rover will study the Moon's plasma and provide answers about the lunar dust, mobility on the lunar surface, and how different surface interact with particles. It has two high-resolutioncameras, one microscopic and the other thermal imaging will send data and images back toEarth.

The Rashid rover has been going under rigorous internal and external reviews, and all of its internal systems are carefully tested at various stages.