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The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) has announced that the first Emirati rover to land on the moon, the Rashid rover, has successfully entered lunar orbit.
At 5:24 a.m. on March 21, UAE time, the iSpace lander equipped with the Rashid probe performed the lunar entry maneuver under the guidance of the lander engineer according to the mission operation plan.
The maneuver involved a controlled burn of the lander’s main propulsion system, lasted several minutes, and was successfully completed.
The completion of this maneuver marks a major milestone for the Rashid rover, with only five subsystem checks required before the upcoming milestone.
The HAKUTO-R lander carrying the Rashid rover is currently in lunar orbit. The rover’s subsystems will be tested five times until the lander’s lunar orbit maneuver is complete.#EmiratesLunarMission pic.twitter.com/G2ENoDBRQy
— MBR Space Center (@MBRSpaceCentre) March 21, 2023
The landing sequence is expected to begin around late April 2023, with specific dates and times to be announced within a few days of completion of all lunar orbital maneuvers.
“We are proud of the UAE’s latest space achievement. The lunar lander carrying the Rashid rover has safely entered lunar orbit, bringing us one step closer to landing on the moon. The support of our leadership and the dedication of our young people Keep pushing our space ambitions forward,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, tweeted.
We are proud of the UAE’s latest space achievement. The lunar lander carrying the Rashid probe has safely entered lunar orbit, bringing us one step closer to landing on the moon.The support of our leadership and the dedication of our youth continue to drive our space ambitions forward pic.twitter.com/PLLLQ2BfY6
– Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) March 21, 2023
Rashid Rover Milestones
After successfully completing the first milestone, the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), and the second, the Cruise Phase, the Rashid rover is now completing its third milestone, the Arrival Phase (entry, descent and landing). landing).
Next comes the deployment, debugging, and startup phases.
Once the lander touches down on the lunar surface, the deployment, commissioning and takeoff command meetings will begin.
After the post-landing checks are complete, instrument commissioning and initial data collection will begin.
Next comes the nominal ground combat phase, which is the mission itself.
Over 10-12 days, the rover will conduct continuous surface research and image capture.
The last two phases after the lunar day are hibernation and final retirement.
The rover prepares for Lunar Night. When secondary communication is activated, all captured information is downloaded and every effort is made to ensure that nothing is missed before the dormant phase.
It is highly unlikely that the rover will be restarted; however, if the rover is activated after lunar night, then the mission will be extended to the full second lunar night, ending with the decommissioning phase.
The UAE’s mission to study the lunar surface is considered a gateway to future exploration of other planets.
Funded by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulator’s ICT Fund, the mission aims to support research and development in the UAE’s ICT sector.
read: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center receives first signal from Rashid probe
Also read: UAE’s Sultan Nayadi arrives at ISS to begin six-month space mission
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