Sky is not the limit for UAE's space ambitions: Sheikh Mohammed after Rashid rover launch

Reaching the Moon is an exceptional milestone, Ruler of Dubai says on Twitter

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 sky is not the limit for UAE's space ambitions, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, after Sunday's successful launch of the Rashid lunar rover.

"Reaching the Moon is an exceptional milestone in the ambitious journey of the country, whose people's aspirations have no bounds," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

"Rashid rover is part of an ambitious space programme for the UAE. It started with Mars, then to the Moon, and our goal is to reach Venus.

"Our goal is to transfer knowledge, develop our capabilities, and add a scientific footprint in human history."

Sheikh Mohammed witnessed the lift-off from Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on Sunday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and other officials also attended the event.

Sheikh Hamdan said: "Our next stop is 384,400km away. We look forward to Rashid leaving an Arab footprint on the surface of the Moon.

"We thank team @MBRSpaceCentre for the launch of the Rashid Rover and for raising the UAE flag in space."

The UAE launched the Arab world’s first mission to the Moon on Sunday, marking a historic beginning for the country’s long-term lunar exploration programme.

Skies lit up across the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with 163 tonnes of thrust to deliver the Rashid rover to a lunar transfer orbit in space.

The small rover is now 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.

The rocket blasted off into space at 11.39am UAE time from the Launch Complex 40 pad, a site operated by the US Space Force.

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.

Last year, the UAE announced a five-year exploration mission to the main asteroid belt, an asteroid landing and a Venus fly-by. A target launch date is set for 2028.