Dubai, UAE – The Arab world’s first lunar rover successfully took off to space on Sunday. The UAE-built Rashid Rover is the first Emirati mission to the surface of the Moon.
It lifted off on board a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, US.
The UAE became the first Arab country and the fourth country globally to land on the lunar surface after the United States, Soviet Union, and China.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said once launched, the integrated spacecraft will take a low-energy route to the moon.
It is in contrast to a direct approach, which means the landing will take about five months after launch, in April 2023.