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Emirates Lunar Mission

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Emirates Lunar Mission
مشروع الإمارات لاستكشاف القمر
Program overview
CountryUnited Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates
OrganizationMohammed bin Rashid Space Centre
Program history
First flight11 December 2022
Failures1

The Emirates Lunar Mission (Arabic: مشروع الإمارات لاستكشاف القمر) is the first program of missions to the Moon by the United Arab Emirates.[1] It is a series of small lunar rovers all named Rashid.[2]

Rashid 1

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The mission by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) sent a lunar rover named Rashid 1 to the Moon aboard ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander.[3][4] It was launched on 11 December 2022 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket,[3] and the rover attempted to land in Atlas crater.[5][6] On 25 April 2023, seconds before an attempted landing, communication with the Hakuto-R lander was lost.[6] The ispace team confirmed that the spacecraft had crashed into the Moon and was thus destroyed.[7][8]

Rashid 2

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After the failed soft-landing of the lander carrying Rashid 1, the Emirates Lunar Mission conducted a study to select the lander that would host the Rashid 2 rover.[9] Initial reporting in 2022 suggested it would be carried on Chang'e 7.[10] On May 22, 2025, Firefly Aerospace announced its Blue Ghost Mission 2 lander would deliver Rashid 2 to the lunar surface.[11]

Rashid 3

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The Rashid 3 rover is expected to launch in 2029 and to explore the Lunar south pole region.[12]

References

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  1. ↑ Abueish, Tamara (29 September 2020). "UAE to launch new Emirati space mission to explore moon: Dubai ruler". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  2. ↑ Almatroushi, Hessa; Almarzouqi, Hamad; Sharaf, Ahmed; Alzaabi, Mohammed (2025-07-09). "Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM): Advancing Lunar Exploration through International Collaboration". Bibcode:2025epsc.conf...13A. doi:10.5194/epsc-dps2025-13. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
  3. 1 2 Rosenstein, Sawyer (11 December 2022). "SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying private Japanese moon lander". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "MBRSC Teams Up with Japan's ispace on Emirates Lunar Mission". ispace. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "ispace Announces Mission 1 Launch Date". ispace. 17 Nov 2022. Retrieved 17 Nov 2022.
  6. 1 2 Chang, Kenneth (2023-04-25). "Live Updates: A Japanese Company Attempts the 1st Private Moon Landing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  7. ↑ "Status Update on ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander". ispace. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. ↑ "Japan Spacecraft Believed to Have Crashed on Moon During Landing". Bloomberg.com. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  9. ↑ Saseendran, Sajila (February 15, 2024). "Revealed: UAE to alter landing site on Moon for second lunar rover after Rashid Rover 1 lander crash". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema.
  10. ↑ Jones, Andrew (19 September 2022). "UAE rover to fly on China's Chang'e-7 lunar south pole mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Schnautz, Risa (May 22, 2025). "Firefly Aerospace Adds UAE's Rashid 2 Rover to Blue Ghost Mission to the Far Side of the Moon".
  12. ↑ "RPS: using a rover wheel in search of water on the Moon". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
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