Ankara: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Sunday that it successfully launched a rover to explore the moon.
The Arab world’s first lunar exploration mission, the Rashid Rover, has taken off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard the American company SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, according to Anadolu News Agency.
It added that the rover’s journey from launch to arrival on the moon would take about five months, with major exploration missions taking more than 14 months.
“The United Arab Emirates launched the Rashid probe to land on the moon, and if the mission is successful, it will be the fourth in the world and the first in the Arab world to land on the moon,” said the UAE deputy. President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Twitter.
If the Rashid rover successfully lands on the moon, it will become the first lunar mission in the Arab world and the fourth Gulf country to reach the moon. – Bernama
