Rashid rover sends first signal to UAE space centre, Sheikh Mohammed says

All rover's devices and systems are working properly, Ruler of Dubai says on Twitter

The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre has received the first signal from the Rashid rover. Sarwat Nasir / The National

The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre has received the first signal from the Rashid rover, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said on Wednesday.

The rover was launched into space on Sunday from the site at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"From a distance of 440,000km from the surface of the Earth, the explorer Rashid just sent the first message to the space centre in Al Khawaneej," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

"All the devices and systems of the explorer are working properly, and it will begin to enter the orbit of the Moon in preparation for landing during the coming months."

The small rover is on its way to the Moon aboard the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, built by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace, on a journey expected to last five months.

Ispace’s lander separated from the rocket about 35 minutes after lift-off and then began its solo journey to the Moon.

SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 booster landed safely back on the company’s drone ship only eight minutes after delivering the lander to space.

The goal is to land the rover in the Atlas crater in the Mare Frigoris site, located in the far-north of the Moon’s near side.

If it manages to soft land on the lunar surface, the lander will set Rashid down on a ramp. They will then communicate by wireless, in the same way mission control monitors the spacecraft and its payload on its journey to the Moon and on the surface.

The rover will study the properties of lunar soil, the petrography and geology of the Moon, dust movement, and study surface plasma conditions and the Moon's photoelectron sheath.

Lunar dust, or regolith, is one of the main challenges astronauts face on the Moon.

The mission will last one lunar day, or 14 Earth days.

The team also hopes the rover can survive the lunar night, also 14 days, when temperatures plunge to -183°C.

SpaceX launches UAE's Rashid lunar rover to space - in pictures

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