UAE successfully launches first ever Arab-Built lunar spacecraft

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UAE successfully launches first ever Arab-Built lunar spacecraft

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 11 December carried into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft. It was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Important facts

  • Named as 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.

  • If the landing is successful, HAKUTO-R will also become the first commercial spacecraft ever to make a controlled landing on the moon.

  • Rashid rover will provide 'novel and highly valued data, images, and insights,' as well as 'collect scientific data on matters relating to the origin of the solar system, our planet and life.'

  • Its rover weighs just 22 pounds (10 kg) and will work on the surface for about 10 days.


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