An Emirati vehicle embarked on a Japanese lander, launched on an American SpaceX rocket and equipped with instruments developed by the French CNES. The result of a true international collaboration, Rashid, a rover built by the United Arab Emirates, should land on the Moon on Tuesday.
So far, only the United States, Russia, and China have landed on the Moon. The United Arab Emirates would thus become the fourth country to land on our satellite, located approximately 400,000 km from Earth, and the first in the Arab world.
a microscope camera
The Japanese Hakuto-R lander has been orbiting the Moon since its launch last December from Cape Canaveral in the United States. It should begin its descent to the lunar surface, scheduled to last about an hour, this Tuesday and, among other things, drop the Rashid rover there.
The latter weighs 10 kg and measures 50 cm. It has four cogwheels and solar panels. The objective of this mission called the “Emirati Lunar Mission” is to “capture unprecedented full HD and color images of the near side of the Moon,” explains CNES.
The French center is actively participating in this mission. Once on the Moon, Rashid will activate his three CASPEX cameras developed by CNES, one of which serves as a microscope. These are the first French instruments sent to the Moon in 50 years.
14 day mission
The rover will remarkably scan the lunar soil. You’ll analyze the surface, called regolith, to understand the size of the grains, their composition, or even the way they move. Rashid will also be able to test the impact of the moon landing on the regolith for the first time.
Rashid’s mission is scheduled to last one lunar day, or 14 days on Earth. In fact, it is very likely that the long lunar night will not allow it to survive as temperatures could reach -180°C. Thus, the shipment of this vehicle is also intended to test the equipment for future space missions.
Given the whims of the descent to the Moon, several landing sites have been selected. However, as explained by CNES, the main objective is the Atlas crater, located on the visible side of the Moon. If Rashid lands there, the mission will be the first to reach a lunar crater.
Emirati soft power
Beyond the scientific issues, the “Emirati Moon Mission” is also an important soft power tool for the United Arab Emirates, a country of just 10 million people.
Launched in 2014, with an estimated budget of €5 billion a year, the Emirati space agency has big ambitions. In 2019, for example, Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati to go to the international space station for an eight-day stay.
In addition, the United Arab Emirates launched in 2020 a space probe, named “Al-Amal” or “Hope” (“Hope” in French), around Mars. Recently, he reported images of the Martian moon Deimos with unparalleled precision.
Source: BFM TV
