Dubai, UAE— The UAE’s moon rover launch has been delayed by one day in order to run more pre-flight checks, according to a statement released by SpaceX.
Rashid Rover, the Arab world’s first lunar mission, is now scheduled to launch at 8:37 a.m. (GMT) on Thursday, Dec.1, from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US.
The UAE’s lunar mission is the product of a partnership with SpaceX and Japan-based ispace inc., which created the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander aboard the Falcon 9 rocket.
The Emirati-made Rashid rover, weighing 10 kilograms and stored inside the Japanese lander, is due to land on around April 2023 on the visible side of the Moon, in the Atlas crater after a five-month journey.
The integrated spacecraft once launched will take a low-energy route to the moon rather than a direct approach.
If the lunar mission succeeds, the UAE will be the fourth country to land on the moon. The mission will also see the first spacecraft funded and built by a private Japanese firm to land on the moon.
Also read: https://trendsmena.com/science/uae-spacecraft-to-explore-asteroid-belt-beyond-mars/