UAE's First Lunar Mission Gets New Launch Date

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced that the launch of its first mission to the surface of the moon has been rescheduled for November 30 at 12:30pm (UAE time) from the Space Forces Station at Cape Canaveral, USA.

MBRSC notes, however, that the launch date may be postponed.

This date is subject to change depending on the weather status or other conditions,

it said.

For the first space mission, the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre has joined hands with Tokyo-based ispace, which plans to launch its Hakuto-R lunar vehicle on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After landing, Hakuto-R will land a rover from the United Arab Emirates called Rashid on the moon.

The Emirati four-wheeled rover will study the moon for 14 Earth days using a high-resolution camera, a thermal imager, a microscopic device and a probe designed to study electrical charges on the lunar surface.

The Rashid Rover is expected to arrive at the moon no earlier than April 2023.

The original launch date was set for 9-15 November, then moved to 22 November and then to 28 November.