The first in the Arab world.. launching of the explorer "Rashid" to the moon

In a mission that is the first in the Arab world and the fourth in the world, Emirati space explorer Rashid went to the moon on a five-month journey.

First mission in the Arab world

Emirati space explorer Rashid is due to land on the Moon in April 2023, Researcher Rashid carries the Japanese lander Hakuto-R aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, so the UAE will register a new achievement in the space industry, “the first mission in the Arab world.”

With this successful launch, the UAE has become the first Arab country and the fourth country in the world to land on the lunar surface after the United States, Soviet Union, and China.

Scientific mission

The duration of the scientific mission is one lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 days of those on Earth, and the spacecraft will take a low-energy path to the moon, rather than a direct approach.

The first attempt had already been delayed, allowing SpaceX to run some additional checks before launching the vehicle.

Atlas Crater

The landing site of Explorer Rashid will be at Atlas Crater, located at 47.5 degrees north latitude and 44.4 degrees east longitude on the southeastern outer edge of the Mare Frigoris region, or the so-called “Cold Sea”, located in the far north of the Moon. According to WAM, the area was chosen “to provide flexibility during the completion of the mission’s operations.”

what will he do?

Explorer Rashid, as soon as he lands, will study the characteristics of the soil on the surface of the Moon, the rocks and the geology of the Moon.

He will also see the movement of dust, plasma and photoelectrons, all of which are new discoveries in this area of the Moon.

Atlas Crater is a site that has not been explored by any spacecraft or even by previous manned missions, making the Emirates lunar exploration project “one of the most important missions to come”.