Rashid explorer landed on the moon today

The explorer is expected to land on the Atlas crater. From the source

Rashid is preparing to land on the moon today, at 8:40 pm UAE time, making the UAE - after the successful implementation of the landing - the fourth country to land on the moon, after the Soviet Union, the United States of America and China.

Rashid is expected to land on the near side of the moon at a site known as the Atlas Crater.

Salem Al Marri, Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said: "We begin a historic week for the Emirati and Arab space sector, with the landing of the first Arab mission on the moon, and the expected success rate is 50%."

He added in a tweet on «Twitter»: «On April 28, astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi will be on a date with the first Arab mission to walk in space».

For his part, the Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, said: "We are waiting for the arrival of the explorer Rashid on the first Emirati and Arab mission to the surface of the moon," continuing: "The mission is difficult and the history of the landing missions on the moon testifies to this. All the best to my colleagues at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in reaching the moon."

The Japanese lander Hakuto-R, carrying Rashid explorer, will perform several orbit control maneuvers at about 7:40 pm today in order to reach a 100-kilometer circular orbit around the moon, before the start of the landing sequence. In the meantime, the explorer's main propulsion system will be launched to decelerate from orbit, using a series of predefined commands, and the explorer will adjust its position and reduce its speed to make a smooth landing in the Mare Fregores region, specifically the Atlas crater region as the primary landing site.

The center explained that the tasks include the study of petrology and geology of the moon, the study of dust, the study of the thermal properties of the lunar surface, the study of plasma, and the capture of about 1000,<> images.