Watch: UAE Royals witness the successful launch of Rashid Rover to the moon
What an achievement…
If you were too busy to keep up with the breaking news over the weekend, the UAE-built Rashid Rover successfully blasted off to space on Sunday, December 11.
It is the Arab world’s first lunar mission to the moon’s surface. It lifted off on board a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA. The successful launch makes UAE the first Arab country and the fourth country in the world to land on the lunar surface after the United States, Soviet Union, and China.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance and other dignitaries witnessed the milestone event at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre here in Dubai.
Here’s what the UAE Royals had to say to mark the successful launch
Sheikh Mohammed issued a series of tweets on his official Twitter account stating, “Today, the UAE launched the explorer Rashid, with the aim of landing on the surface of the moon.” In another tweet, he added, “Reaching the moon means reaching an exceptional station in the ambitious march of a country and a people whose aspirations have no ceiling.”.
Reflecting on the successful Mission to Mars last year in February 2021, Sheikh Mohammed said, “Explorer Rashid is part of an ambitious space program for the UAE that started with Mars passing through the moon to Venus. Our goal is to transfer knowledge, develop our capabilities, and add a scientific footprint in human history”
Sheikh Hamdan also tweeted after the successful launch saying, “Our next target is about 384,000 kilometres away. Today, we are looking forward to an Arab footprint bearing the name Rashid on the surface of the moon. Thanks to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center team for all their efforts, and I wish them success in raising the name of the Emirates in the spaces of the impossible.”
Sheikh Maktoum congratulated the Rulers of the Emirates and its people for the launch and wished it a success. He tweeted, “The UAE is crossing a new historical station in its space achievements, with the help of its scientists at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, and proving that it is the homeland of the impossible.”
You can watch the momentous occasion below:
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Speaking on the mission, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) explained that the integrated spacecraft will take a low-energy route to the moon rather than a direct approach, which means the landing will take about five months after launch, in April 2023.
Well done, UAE!
Images: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and Twitter