Dubai: China has signed an agreement to help the UAE land an exploration vehicle on the lunar surface. The deal was signed on Friday by the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center and the Chinese National Space Administration. It is the first time that the two countries have reached a cooperation agreement in the space field. Officials said the deal sets the stage for future space opportunities between the two countries.
China has successfully explored the moon. The Chinese Change-3 spacecraft was the first to land on the moon in 2013. In 2019, a spacecraft was also able to land on the opposite side of the moon. It is estimated that, thanks to the cooperation, the lunar exploration vehicle, which will be built by the UAE in the future, will be able to reach its destination easily. This will eliminate the need to build your own lander.
The launch of the Rashid rover, the UAE’s first lunar probe, is scheduled for November. The 10 kg “Rashid” rover will be brought to the lunar surface by a Japanese lander called the Hakuto-R Mission-1. Imaraty’s engineers will communicate with the rover through wireless communication services available from the lunar surface. The rover will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The rover aims to explore the northeastern part of the Moon. The mission will study lunar soil, geology, dust, photoelectric shielding, and lunar day. This is the first mission under the country’s long-term lunar exploration program.
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