The specialized magazine "Nature", the most prominent international scientific periodical, shed light on the UAE's plans for outer space, specifically its ambitious intention with eyes directed towards the moon, with the headline that "The UAE is intensifying its space ambitions with the first moon mission in the Arab world." In parallel with the presence of the orbital vehicle, the “Probe of Hope”, on the way to Mars.
The scientific journal pointed out that the announcement of sending a compact rover called “Rashid” to study the moon in 2024 embodies the intensification of the UAE’s ambitions in the field of space, and if it succeeds, the UAE Space Agency will become the fifth in the ranking of countries that succeed in placing a vehicle on the surface of the moon. In addition, it will be the first in the Arab world.
According to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, the internal teams at the center will undertake the development, construction and operation of the vehicle, which weighs 10 kilograms, and its name came after the name of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may God rest his soul.
The center's team will hire a space agency or commercial partner that has not yet been announced to carry out the launch and landing, which is the most dangerous part of the "Rashid" mission, which is intended to be one of many rovers manufactured by private companies and space agencies. Which is scheduled to invade the moon by 2024, according to "Nature".
Scientific study
The UAE's march towards space is somewhat recent, for a country with 14 years of experience in the space exploration race, which launched this year the first interplanetary orbital vehicle on a journey towards the red planet Mars, and scientists explain that building a rover provides the country with a set of New challenges.
To take the scientific feedback from the global side, Hannah Sargeant, a planetary scientist at the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, explained: “I think they are on the verge of steps that they can achieve at this point, and in fact they are very smart about it.”
The UAE lunar rover experiment will include studying the thermal properties of the lunar surface and providing an insight into the formation of the lunar landscape. Hamad Al Marzouqi, the mission project manager at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, said that the experiment will study the size of the formations and the size of lunar dust particles in microscopic detail.
The famous scientific magazine noted that one of the most exciting “Rashid” tools is the “Langmuir” probe. According to Sargeant, for the first time on the surface of the moon, the plasma of charged particles that hover on the surface of the moon will be studied due to the flow of solar winds, and this environment electrically charges dust in the atmosphere. A process that is not well understood.
The planetary scientist added that the experiments that are conducted on the surface of the moon in order to understand the charged environment are very necessary, as the conditions make the moon dust stick to the surfaces, which may be dangerous for manned missions in the future, saying: “They are small, sharp granules that reach and stick everywhere and can It would have a dangerous effect on astronauts if they inhaled a lot of it.”
According to the studied plans, “Rashid” will land in an unexplored location, at a latitude between 45 degrees north or south of the equator on the near side of the moon, which will allow easier communication with the Earth, as well as providing a more smooth landing on the surface of the moon.
important
The mission continues during a lunar day or one day on the moon, equivalent to about 14 Earth days, and the team hopes that the vehicle will continue to operate also during the long lunar night, when temperatures drop to about -173 degrees Celsius, and most of the previous rovers carried a source For heat, however, surviving or working overnight would mean developing new technology for a small-scale mobile vehicle.
This is according to Adnan Al-Rayyes, director of the “Mars Program 2117” at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, which also includes exploration of the moon. Although the budget for the “Rashid” mission has not been disclosed yet, Al-Rayyes made it clear that all scientific data will be publicly available. to the international community.
Facing the challenges
Al-Rayes said that the UAE's lunar mission is the first in a series of missions that aim to be a platform for the development of technologies, and the technologies will eventually support missions on Mars, and will address the challenges of food, energy and water security, where natural resources can be similarly scarce.
For her part, Sarah Al-Muaini, an engineer in the communications system at the “Rashid” vehicle, indicated that the mission comes as a challenge, but as we all know, “we love challenges here in the Emirates.”
The UAE's lunar module's light weight also means it can be launched on a commercial lander, in a move that contributes to reducing the overall cost of the mission.
Hamad Al-Marzouqi pointed out that the vehicle's small size and lightness mean that "it is rapidly developing and it is easy to find an elevator or a way to reach the surface of the moon," adding that this will allow the UAE to send repeated missions to the surface of the moon with a variety of sites and targets.
International partnerships
Nature magazine stated that the age of the UAE Space Agency is estimated at only 6 years, and its satellite program is only 14 years old, but it quickly became a country engaged in the field of space through a policy of employing international academic and industrial partners to help In construction and design missions, with highly qualified local engineers trained.
Although the UAE now has expertise in satellites, orbit and remote sensing, the next robotic mission to the moon will require new skills in building the rover's mechanical structure and its heating and communications systems. Sending signals over 384,000 km to Earth with the power limitations of a lightweight vehicle.
In the context of the project arrangements, the rover team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center has been working on the project for about two years. The rover is designed based on a number of successful previous probes, and the team is planning to model and refine a series of rapid prototypes.
Unlike the "Probe of Hope" mission to Mars, which was established largely in the United States by American and Emirati engineers, Marzouki confirms that the lunar vehicle will be fully developed in the Emirates, along with relevant international partnerships.
For his part, Al-Rayes explained that although the date of the mission in 2024 coincides with Artemis or the return of the international humans led by "NASA" to the moon, the UAE's lunar mission will move forward even if those efforts stop, as the UAE's step is completely independent. While Hamad Al-Marzouqi said: “Everyone is rushing to go to the moon, so we want to be a major contributor to these international efforts.”
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