UAE to the Moon: NYUAD Contributes to Rashid Rover Launch – News

Officials and students participate in the development of Mars rover instruments and related data processing procedures

Officers and students who contributed to the launch of Rashid Rover. – Wow

Officials and students from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) were among the contributors to the launch of the UAE Moon Mission.

The UAE has officially started its much-anticipated moon mission, becoming the first Arab country ever to reach the milestone. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) Rashid rover was launched by ispace’s Hakuto-R lander from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of its HAKUTO-R MISSION 1 program As part of the mission, the trip to the moon is estimated to take about four months.

Built by Emirati engineers and named after the late ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Rashid Rover was designed to study various aspects of the lunar surface.

A number of institutions in the UAE and globally have contributed to this mission. New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) made important contributions to the mission by participating in the development of the rover’s instruments and associated data processing programs, measuring key properties of the rover, and supporting landing site selection. Representatives from NYU included Milan Bogosavljević, a lecturer in physics; Mohamad Ali-Dib, a research scientist at the Center for Astrophysic, Particle, and Planetary Physics (CAP3); Francesco Arneodo, a professor of physics and principal investigator at CAP3; Sebastian Kalos, an undergraduate student; Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Kemal Celik, Research Scientist Rotana Hay, Research Assistant Bo Peng, Senior Lecturer in Engineering Design Matthew Karau, CITIES Research Fellow Vince Nguyen.

Marta Losada, Dean of NYUAD’s Faculty of Science, said, “NYU Abu Dhabi is honored to be involved in one of the largest space-related efforts to date in the UAE. Our talented team of faculty, researchers and students have been working closely with MBRSC and the Other key players regionally and worldwide have worked tirelessly in collaboration to help bring this vision to life. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers for this incredible achievement; Collaborate on national innovation.”

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Equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as an optical wide-angle camera, advanced mobility and communication systems, and powered by solar panels, Rashid also carried a suite of scientific instruments that enabled it to investigate processes on the lunar surface in unprecedented detail.

Much of NYUAD’s responsibilities begin with the development and manufacture of scientific instruments. These include the design and calibration of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used by the rover’s camera-microscope (CAM-M), as well as calibration and scientific performance analysis to ensure the camera’s functionality, designed to provide the highest resolution live images of the lunar surface to date.

The rover also carries a set of Langmuir probes (LNG) designed to measure the electron sheath above the lunar surface. To this end, it is necessary to fully understand the influence of the rover’s own surface materials on the lunar sheath. NYUAD researchers made detailed measurements of these optoelectronic properties of various materials used on the rover’s surface.

In addition, the team helped map craters and boulders (rocks on the moon) on the HAKUTO-R lander’s candidate landing site using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to help assess the site’s safety and possible landing paths for the rover. on the lunar surface.

NYUAD’s civil engineering team has been working to develop lunar analog materials using locally available minerals. The material mimics lunar soil and is therefore crucial for the development and testing of future lunar missions.

“Our work doesn’t stop there. When the Rashid probe is safely deployed to the lunar surface, our science team will support the control room in Dubai by analyzing the data received from the probe. 14 days of operation, so it will be a very busy time. Once the activities on the ground are over, we will continue to contribute to the in-depth analysis of images and other sensor data taken throughout the mission,” said Bogosavljević.