UAE’s Rashid rover enters moon’s orbit

The first Emirati rover to land on the moon, Rashid Rover, has successfully entered the lunar orbit, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has announced.

The iSpace lander carrying Rashid rover executed the lunar orbit insertion manoeuvre at 5:24am UAE time on March 21, following the mission operation plan and under the guidance of lander engineers.

The manoeuvre involved a controlled burn from the lander’s main propulsion system and lasted for several minutes, and it was completed successfully.

The completion of this manoeuvre marks a significant milestone for the Rashid rover, with only five remaining subsystem checks to go before the upcoming milestones.

The landing sequence is expected to commence around late April 2023, with the announcement of the specific date and time to be made in the coming days after the completion of all lunar orbital manoeuvres.

“We are proud of the UAE’s newest space achievement. The lunar lander carrying the Rashid Rover has safely entered the moon’s orbit taking us a step closer to a lunar landing.

The support of our leadership & the dedication of our youth continue to drive our space ambitions forward,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council tweeted.