The UAE’s next lunar mission will target the far side of the Moon, which regional scientists say holds clues as to how it evolved billions of years ago.
The hemisphere, permanently facing away from Earth, has remained largely untouched since the Moon was first formed.
Unlike the near side, with its dark volcanic plains, the far side retains its rugged, heavily cratered surface, geological features that could reveal how the Moon’s crust developed and why its two halves are so different.
“The near side experienced massive volcanic flooding three to four billion years ago that covered about a third of its surface with dark basaltic lava plains called maria,” Dr Dimitra Atri, principal investigator at NYU Abu Dhabi’s space exploration laboratory, told The National.
“The far side has almost no maria, only about 1 per cent of its surface is volcanic. This means the far side’s ancient, heavily cratered highland crust remains largely intact, preserving a record of the Moon’s first billion years that’s been erased on the near side.
“The main problem that we need to address is why volcanism was so asymmetric.”
What challenges lie ahead?
Studying the far side could help scientists build a clearer picture of the Moon’s early impact history and composition.
“Far-side highland samples reveal the original composition of the lunar crust after the magma ocean crystallised,” said Dr Atri.
“The South Pole–Aitken basin, the Moon’s largest and oldest visible impact structure, has exposed deeper crustal layers. While it was originally thought to have excavated mantle material, current spectroscopic data suggests it primarily exposed lower crustal rocks.”
Only the US, China, India, Japan, Russia and two private companies have landed on the near side of the Moon because of the challenging engineering required.
Touching down on the far side is even more difficult, with only China having accomplished the feat with its Chang'e-4 mission in 2019 and Chang'e-6 in 2024.
Chang’e-6 made history by becoming the first to return samples from the Moon’s far side. It landed in the Apollo Basin within the South Pole–Aitken region and brought about 2kg of lunar material back to Earth.
Analysis has revealed the far side’s crust could have formed under different thermal conditions from the near side, which explains why one hemisphere is smooth and dark, while the other is heavily cratered and bright.
What is the target?
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) plans to send its Rashid 2 rover to the far side in 2026, in what will be the Arab world’s first attempt to explore the Moon’s hidden face.
The rover will travel aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 2 lander, with a touchdown site yet to be announced.
It will be the UAE’s second lunar mission, following the first Rashid rover that was lost when Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander crashed in April 2023.
The new rover has been designed to complete the same scientific objectives in 10 days, including studying lunar soil, testing new materials and capturing high-resolution imagery of the surface.
If successful, the Rashid 2 mission will add to the UAE’s growing list of space achievements, which include the Hope Probe mission to Mars and a six-month mission completed by Dr Sultan Al Neyadi on the International Space Station in 2023.
“The completion of Rashid Rover 2 represents a decisive step in advancing the UAE’s ambitions for lunar exploration," said Salem Humaid Al Marri, director general of MBRSC.
"With a mission set for the far side of the Moon, we are entering a domain few have explored, driven by the pursuit of new science and the desire to push the limits of what is possible.
"The progress we have made so far reflects the UAE’s belief in advancing space science through collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the development of technologies that serve the broader progress of humanity.”
The UAE Space Agency is also working on the Emirates mission to the Asteroid Belt, which involves the MBR Explorer taking off in 2028 to explore seven asteroids and attempt a landing on one.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
