Rashid rover to reach farthest point of mission before slingshot to Moon

The rover is expected to land on the lunar surface by end of April

The live-streamed launch of the UAE’s Rashid rover in December 2022.

The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander carrying the rover is expected to land on the Moon at the end of April.

The lander is expected to attempt a lunar orbit insertion towards the end of March.

The spacecraft has travelled about 1.37 million km since being launched.

The lander is the first privately funded spacecraft to travel that far. Photo: ispace

The Rashid rover is the first mission under the UAE's long-term Moon exploration programme.

Landing on the Moon is challenging, with more than a third of lunar landing missions failing.

The Moon has no atmosphere, forcing landers to perform complex manoeuvres to achieve a soft landing.

Only the US, former Soviet Union and China have achieved a soft landing on the Moon.

The 10-kilogram exploration rover will study the geography of the lunar surface.

The team also hope the rover can survive a lunar night, when temperatures plunge to minus 183°C.

The Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander is taking a longer route to save on fuel and reduce costs.

The lander in space after detaching from SpaceX's rocket. Photo: SpaceX

A SpaceX engine takes the lander to a lunar transfer orbit after launch. Photo: SpaceX

Reem AlMehisni, rover thermal engineering chief at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Officials prepare for the launch at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The control room of the space centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Flight control teams in the Mission Control Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The final prototype of the Rashid rover. Photo: MBRSC

Mission Control Centre staff at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Mission Control Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The exterior of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Emirati engineers behind the UAE's lunar mission pose for picture with the Rashid rover. Photo: MBRSC

The interior of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The UAE’s Rashid lunar rover is set to reach its furthest distance from Earth since launching on a SpaceX rocket last month.

It is travelling to the Moon on the Hakuto-R lander, built by Japanese company ispace, and is expected to reach the lunar surface by end of April.

As of Monday, the spacecraft had travelled about 1.24 million km from the Earth and is expected to be at its farthest point of about 1.4 million km by January 20.

Once it reaches that point, ispace may perform the third orbital control manoeuvre that will allow the lander to move closer to the Moon.

“Since its launch on December 11, the lander has maintained stable navigation in accordance with the mission plan,” an ispace representative said.

ispace has taken a longer route to save fuel. It will use a gravity assist from the Sun for the manoeuvre.

This is a technology demonstration mission by ispace that will allow the company to measure the spacecraft’s performance and prepare for more complex journeys in future.

If it manages to land successfully, it would make ispace the first company to achieve a commercial cargo mission to the Moon, with several government and private payloads on board.

Meanwhile, the Rashid rover is the Arab world’s first Moon mission. It is a 10kg rover that will study lunar soil, dust, geology and the electrically charged particles on the lunar surface.

Rashid 2, the second Moon mission by the UAE, will launch on a Chinese spacecraft in 2026.