UAE Moon mission ready for lift-off next year after key tests on Rashid Rover 2

Arab world's first jointly built satellite also launches in important week for region's space sector

The Rashid Rover 2 is set for a 2026 launch after successful tests in the US. Photo: Dubai Media Office

The UAE's quest to land on the Moon next year has moved another step closer after its Rashid Rover 2 lunar vehicle came through performance checks in the US.

The rover completed deployment and drive-off tests in collaboration with Firefly Aerospace, the company which will carry it into space aboard its Blue Ghost Mission 2.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said last month that the vehicle would be sent to the US after a comprehensive series of environmental and functional tests were conducted in the Emirates.

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It was confirmed earlier this year by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, that the UAE would attempt to become only the second nation to land on the far side of the Moon.

"We have successfully conducted the Rashid Rover 2 deployment and drive-off tests from Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander," said Salem Al Marri, Director General of the MBRSC on Thursday. "We also carried out electrical, software and mechanical interface checks, along with wireless performance testing between the rover and the lander.

"These tests follow the completion of the rover’s development, confirming readiness for the mission, which will launch next year to explore the lunar far side."

Rashid 2 will travel into space aboard the Blue Ghost 2 lander, scheduled for launch in early 2026 for a landing attempt on the Moon’s far side – the unlit part – for a 10-day mission.

It will be the space centre’s second attempt to land a rover on the Moon following the unsuccessful Rashid 1 mission in April 2023. The first rover, part of Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1, was lost when the lander crashed into the lunar surface.

Lift-off for Arab dreams

The significant step forward for the Emirates Lunar Mission comes as the Arab world's first jointly built satellite blasted off on Wednesday, from China. More than 30 engineers from the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain and engineers and researchers from 11 other Arab countries helped to develop the 260kg Earth observation satellite, which is called 813.

The project was announced in 2019 with the intention of bringing Arab nations together and increasing their space sectors' capabilities.

The satellite is named after 813AD. That was the year that Baghdad's House of Wisdom became a public academy and library. It would attract the finest minds and usher the Arab world into a period of intellectual advancement known as the Islamic Golden Era.

Engineers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan, Kuwait, Oman and Lebanon have contributed to the satellite’s development.

"Arab satellite 813 is the first Arab space project dedicated to Earth observation and the study of its climatic systems," said Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, director general of the UAE Space Agency.

"It also acts as an incubator for developing Arab talent in space science and provides open data to member states of the Arab Space Co-operation Group, strengthening the region's research infrastructure and positioning it as a significant global contributor."