The United Arab Emirates Rashid Rover has successfully completed one month in space, travelling close to 1.34 million kilometers, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced on Friday, the Dubai Media Office (DMO) reported.
The first Arab-built Rashid Rover was built in the UAE by a fully Emirati team, and lifted off on Sunday, December 11, 2022, in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Since the launch, the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM) team has completed 220 minutes of communication with the world’s most compact rover.
The mission team has reportedly completed all health assessments and maintenance checks to ensure the optimal functioning of its onboard subsystems and instruments.
The team on Earth is now communicating with it once every week.
Currently, the team is preparing for the entry, descent and landing phases before starting surface operations.
The team will conduct 12 simulated exercises for the mission to be staged at the MBRSC ground station before the rover’s lunar landing at the end of April.
On the surface of the moon, the rover will conduct scientific tests that are expected to contribute to qualitative developments in the fields of science, communication technologies, and robotics.
