Rashid Rover to launch on December 11

Dubai: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) confirmed the new date for the launch attempt of the Emirates Lunar Mission.

The inaugural launch of the Rashid Rover is now scheduled to take place on December 11, 2022, at 11:38 Gulf Standard Time (GST), or 02:38 Eastern US Time.

The initial launch attempt was postponed, allowing SpaceX to perform additional pre-flight checks of the launch vehicle.

Once launched, 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.

The launch can be viewed on the MBRSC Livestream at https://www.mbrsc.ae/lunar/

ABOUT MOHAMMED BIN RASHID SPACE CENTRE
Established in 2006, the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) started out with five engineers, who took it upon themselves to develop their capabilities and expand their knowledge in the field of space, relying on strong will and solid determination. Since then, the centre has continued its journey to be the incubator of the “UAE National Space Programme”. The MBRSC has undertaken the tasks of building, developing, and operating a number of Earth observation satellites, providing imaging services, analysing and studying them, and producing relevant data for scientific communities and research centres worldwide. Among the satellites that the centre operates are DubaiSat-1 & DubaiSat-2. The MBRSC is also responsible for KhalifaSat, celebrated as the first satellite that was fully built by Emiratis in 2018. Recently, the centre revealed its plan to develop the new satellite MBZ-SAT, which is expected to be launched at the end of 2023 and to be the latest in the field of high-resolution imaging from outer space.