In 2024, UAE lunar rover may land on surface never explored before

The United Arab Emirates plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024 a top Emirati official said on Tuesday the latest gamble in the stars by the oilrich nation that could see it become only the fourth nation on Earth to accomplish that goalThe announcement by Dubais ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who also serves as the vice president and prime minister of the hereditarily ruled UAE shows the rapid expansion of the space program that bears his nameAlready an Emirati space probe is hurtling through space on its way to Mars while last year it sent its first astronaut to the International Space StationIt will be an Emiratimade lunar rover that will land on the surface of the moon in 2024 in areas that have not been explored previously by human missions Sheikh Mohammed wrote on TwitterHe did not elaborate on the location that the UAE planned to explore nor how they would launch the rover into spaceThe launch of its Amal or Hope probe to Mars took place at Japans Tanegashima Space Centre in July Mitsubishi Heavy Industries which launched that probe said nothing had been decided about the launch of the moon rover and declined to comment when reached by The Associated PressThe Emirati rover will study the lunar surface mobility on the moons surface and how different surfaces interact with lunar particles the government later said The 10 kg 22pound rover will carry two highresolution cameras a microscopic camera a thermal imagery camera a probe and other devices it said Sheikh Mohammed said the rover would be named Rashid the same name of his late father Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al MaktoumSheikh Rashid was one of the original founding rulers of the United Arab Emirates a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula Sheikh Mohammed made the announcement on Twitter after a closeddoor meeting with officialsState media photographs of the meeting showed him and others wearing masks due to the coronavirus pandemic If successful in 2024 the UAE could become the fourth nation on Earth to land a spacecraft on the moon after the US the Soviet Union and China India tried and failed to land a spacecraft last yearIsrael as well saw its own small spacecraft crash into the lunar surface last year before touchdown failing in an ambitious attempt to make history as the first privately funded lunar landingIn July the UAEs Amal probe was launched from Japan It remains on its way to Mars and is set to reach the red planet in February 2021 the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since the countrys formation In September that year Amal will start transmitting Martian atmospheric data which will be made available to the international scientific community officials sayA successful mission to the moon would be a major step for the oildependent economy seeking a future in space The UAE also has set the ambitious goal to build a human colony on Mars by 2117Keep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever