Sheikh Mohammed announces Rashid 2 new Emirati lunar mission

Sheikh Mohammed announces Rashid 2 new Emirati lunar mission

DUBAI: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, today announced Rashid 2, a new Emirati lunar mission that will be undertaken by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, accompanied by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, visited the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and met with the team behind the UAE’s first attempt to land a rover on the lunar surface. Stressing the importance of determination in achieving success in the space industry, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE will continue to launch new space exploration missions.

His Highness noted that though the attempt to land the Rashid Rover on the moon was unsuccessful, “we kept our aspirations high.”

“Emiratis have proved their ability to develop advanced space projects and rapidly create a vibrant national space sector,” he further said. “The UAE built a space sector from scratch within just 10 years. The Rashid Rover mission was driven by the country’s ambitious vision for space exploration,” His Highness added.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that any space mission has to contend with high levels of risk,