The UAE is about to attempt to become only the second nation to land on the far side of the Moon, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has said.
Sheikh Hamdan made his comments in the wake of a deal between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and the US-based Firefly Aerospace to provide the payload delivery services for the Rashid 2 rover, forming a vital part of the Emirates Lunar Mission scheduled for 2026.
"The mission is set to make the UAE only the second country in history to attempt a landing on the Moon's far side, placing the nation at the forefront of space exploration," Sheikh Hamdan said on X on Thursday.
"The UAE continues to strengthen its role as a major global player in advancing space exploration. Driven by the talent of our youth, the UAE’s journey in space reflects the same ambition and excellence that define our progress on Earth."
Only one country has successfully landed on the far side of the Moon to date. China made history in 2019 when its Chang'e-4 mission landed in the Von Karman crater.
MBRSC has now selected Firefly Aerospace to carry its second lunar rover, Rashid 2, to the Moon. It will travel into space aboard the Blue Ghost 2 lander, currently scheduled for launch in early 2026 for a landing attempt on the Moon’s far side - the unlit part - for a 10-day mission.
It will be the space centre’s second attempt to land a rover on the Moon following the unsuccessful Rashid 1 mission in April 2023. The first rover, part of Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1, was lost when the lander crashed into the lunar surface.
Firefly is one of only two companies that has managed to land safely on the Moon. Its Blue Ghost 1 vehicle touched down on March 2. Intuitive Machines, another US company, carried out the first successful private mission to the Moon’s surface last year.
Both companies are part of Nasa’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, which awards contracts to companies developing lunar vehicles that can deliver scientific and technology payloads to the surface.
Firefly’s second mission to the Moon involves the Elytra Dark orbital vehicle, a spacecraft that will deploy the Blue Ghost 2 lander and the European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder satellite. From there, Blue Ghost 2 will attempt a landing on the lunar surface.
Apart from the UAE's Rashid 2, the landing vehicle is carrying technology from a few other clients, including Nasa and the US Department of Energy, Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Australian Space Agency.
The Rashid 2 rover was designed to achieve the same targets that the initial one was meant to carry out. These include studying regolith, or lunar soil, testing new materials for lunar exploration, capturing high-resolution images and analysing the lunar surface environment.
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
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5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
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Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
New Zealand T20 squad
New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
