Dubai to build new lunar rover to replace lost one

The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to build a new lunar rover, Rashid 2, to replace the one lost in the crash of the lander when it attempted to land on the moon on 26 April 2023.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said during a visit to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre that the new rover will be built and also sent into space.

Sheikh Mohammed said despite the failure, the UAE will not stop in space exploration and will not set itself small goals. The Prime Minister recalled that the space sector in the UAE was established in just 10 years.

Among other things, the state has succeeded in building a team of specialists capable of managing cutting-edge space projects. The UAE will maintain its ambition to become an advanced space power.

On 26 April 2023, it was revealed that the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar landing module carrying the United Arab Emirates-built Rashid rover crashed when it landed on the surface of a satellite.

The module had been in flight for 4.5 months and was due to make a successful landing on the moon on 25 April. Communication was lost when the module was 10 m above the lunar surface and approaching it at 25 km/h. A launch date for Rashid 2 has not yet been announced.

Source: The National

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