He launched the "Emirates to explore the Moon" ... the first Arab mission and the fourth in the world

Mohammed bin Rashid: Our space project is huge ... and the future is full of achievements and innovations

• Mohammed bin Rashid during the launch of the Emirates Moon exploration project.

  WAM

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said, “Our space project is huge, and we have the will and good management. We have a human wealth of scientific, research and engineering cadres with a passion, and the future that awaits us is full of achievements and innovations, and the next is better and more beautiful ».

This came on the occasion of the launch of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emirates Moon Exploration Project, the first Arab scientific mission to explore the Moon, to complement the UAE’s strategy in exploring outer space, and to strengthen its scientific leadership in the field of space science and research in the region, and in a precedent supporting the state’s efforts in Upgrading, developing and enabling the space industries sector in the region to contribute to creating the future with innovative Emirati minds and arms.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum affirmed that "through the exploration of the moon, we write an inspiring new chapter in our record of achievements as a country whose ambitions are the roof of space and beyond."

His Highness added: "We chose to give the name of the late Sheikh Rashid the Emirati explorer of the moon in honor of the builder of the renaissance of Dubai and one of the UAE's makers ... the largest and most beautiful national and humanitarian project in the region."

The Emirates Moon Exploration Project is part of the new strategy launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (2021-2031). The project includes the development and launch of the first Emirati lunar explorer under the name "Rashid", named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may God rest his soul. The builder of modern Dubai, and the explorer will be designed and built with 100% Emirati efforts, so that the UAE will be the fourth country in the world to participate in the missions of exploring the moon for scientific purposes, after the United States of America, the Soviet Union (formerly) and China, and the first Arab country to undertake a space mission to explore the surface of the Moon from During an explorer that will be developed by a team of Emirati engineers, experts and researchers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, and will cooperate with an international ally, who will be chosen to support the Emirati explorer in the moon landing process.

The UAE project to explore the moon stems from scientific goals, including developing robotic technologies for exploration vehicle systems, studying new sites for the first time on the surface of the moon, in addition to studying and analyzing dust on the surface of the moon.

The Emirati explorer tasks include conducting tests to study various aspects of the lunar surface, including the lunar soil, thermal properties of surface structures, the lunar photoelectric envelope, measurements of plasma, optoelectronics and dust particles located above the luminous part of the lunar surface.

During the mission period, the Emirati explorer will patrol the surface of the moon, traveling to new sites that have not been previously studied before, where he will capture rare data and images, then send them to the ground control station at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, in addition to testing technical devices and equipment that are being tested for the first time. Related to robotics, communications, navigation and navigation, with the aim of determining how efficiently they operate in the harsh lunar environment.

The Emirati explorer will land in an area that has not been tested by any of the previous lunar exploration missions, and therefore the data and images that he will provide will be recent, new and of high value .. During the period of the experiment, the explorer will collect data related to scientific issues, such as the origin of the solar system, our planet and life.

The moon is an ideal platform for testing new technologies and equipment, which will be used in future space exploration missions, including Mars, as the landing on the surface of the moon allows testing of the exposure of sensors and other technologies to the space environment for long periods, and the explorer will test new technologies on the surface of the moon, being the environment The optimum for such tests, and it is closer to Earth, which will help test the capabilities of the UAE before embarking on manned exploration missions to Mars.

The Emirati explorer is characterized by a number of high-quality and efficient technical features and specifications, as it will be equipped with three-dimensional cameras, a suspension system, advanced sensing and communication systems, an external structure and solar panels to provide it with energy.

It will work on solar panels and will include four cameras that move vertically and horizontally, including two main cameras, a microscope camera and a thermal imaging camera, in addition to sensors and systems equipped to analyze the properties of soil, dust, radioactive and electrical activities, and rocks on the surface of the moon .. It will also include a system to enhance adhesion efficiency The wheels of the explorer on the surface of the moon, and facilitate the process of overcoming natural barriers, and a durable structure to protect devices and motors from changing temperatures.

The team of engineers and researchers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of national cadres are working to finalize the engineering design for the Emirati moon explorer in 2021, provided that the engineering model will be manufactured in 2022, and the initial experiments and tests to develop the prototype will be conducted in 2023, and an explorer will be launched The moon in 2024 in another record period added to the achievements of the space state.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, said: “The UAE project to explore the moon expresses the will of the UAE to complete the march of science and knowledge to reach space, according to the vision of a wise leadership that supports scientific ambition, stimulates achievements, and thinks about the future. And it strives for the good, leadership and distinction of the homeland.

He stressed that “our country today is proving that it is an ambitious country, with a forward-looking vision and future aspirations, which is living a continuous developmental movement, without regression or slowdown, and there are no limits to its achievements .. Through this project, the UAE adds a new chapter in the history of space missions to the moon and enters history. In the race of minds, to confirm the position of the state and its reputation in the service of humanity.

The Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Youssef Hamad Al-Shaibani, said: “The UAE project to explore the moon is a clear indication of the leadership's consolidation of a culture of leadership and work, proving day after day that the secret is not in the abundance of resources, but the ability to manage these resources and direct them in a way that serves the achievement of our goals. The leadership focused on investing in the future of the country and succeeded in advancing the knowledge march in the space sector.

Adnan Al Rayes, director of the “Mars 2117 Program” at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, said: “The Emirates Moon Exploration Project is a pivotal step that paves the way for achieving the Mars 2117 strategy. The project will provide answers and information that define the course of our mission to explore Mars, and benefit knowledge. Humanity".

Al Rayes added: “The explorer is expected to send at least 1000 images, including images of the landing on the surface of the moon, the first surface images, night pictures of the earth, thermal images, and self-pictures, in addition to sending navigation data, which includes flight time, and surface terrain data on Moon surface, inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, temperatures, and energy consumption ».

The Emirati explorer is expected to face many challenges related to the difficult environment on the surface of the moon, as the moon has an environment that is harsher than the environment of Mars, in which the temperature reaches minus 173 degrees Celsius, while the characteristics of the difficult lunar soil, the thermal properties of the surface structures and other Factors that may pose challenges to the Explorer mission.

Scientific tests

The Emirati explorer will, during his mission, conduct many scientific tests on the surface of the moon, which contribute to bringing about qualitative developments in the fields of science, technology, communication technologies and robotics, and the positive impact of these developments is not limited to the space exploration sector only, but also extends to many other sectors, such as the technological industries sector , The telecommunications sector, and other related sectors.

Overcoming obstacles

The focus of the scientific team of experts and engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center is to develop an explorer capable of overcoming potential obstacles, which include the difficulty of landing on the surface of the moon, which is considered one of the most difficult space exploration missions, due to the accuracy required for the success of the operation, where the success rate is Only 45%.

Other technical challenges also emerge, in addition to the harsh lunar environment, and in the event that the scheduled landing mission succeeds in the next few years, the Emirati explorer will be the fourth to land on the surface of the moon, and thus the UAE joins the group of countries that participate in the missions of moon exploration, after the states The United States of America, the Soviet Union, and China.

"Emirates Exploration of the Moon" is studying new sites on the moon and is conducting tests, the first of their kind.

Development of a 100% Emirati-made explorer to land on the moon in 2024.

"Explorer Rashid" lands in an area that has not been tested by any of the previous lunar exploration missions.

Vice President of the State:

"We have the will and good management, and we have a human wealth of scientific, research and engineering cadres with a passion."

"We are writing an inspiring new chapter in our record of achievements as a country whose ambitions cap its space and farther away."

"We chose to name the late Sheikh Rashid, the Emirati explorer of the moon, in honor of the builder of Dubai's renaissance and one of the UAE's makers."

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