Jakarta, IO – A Japanese private space company called Ispace Inc launched a spacecraft to the moon from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, Sunday (11/12). The mission, dubbed “Hakuto-R,” is the company’s and Japan’s historic first. This craft also carries UAE-made moon-exploring robot rover named “Rashid” (after Dubai’s royal family) which weighs just 10kg.
The moon landing craft began its experimental voyage of nearly five months to reach the moon. Ispace is designed to be more fuel efficient, with more room for cargo. It is taking a slow, low-energy path to the Moon, flying 1.6 million km from Earth before looping back and making a planned landing by the end of April, reported the Associated Press (AP), Sunday (11/12).
It measures about 2.3 meters tall when all four pods are extended. The craft aims to put a small NASA satellite into lunar orbit to search for water deposits before touching down in the Atlas Crater, which measures more than 87km across and just over 2km deep in the northeastern part of the Moon’s.
“Reaching the Moon is an exceptional milestone in the ambitious journey of the country, whose people’s aspirations have no bounds,” wrote Sheikh Mohammedm Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Twitter.
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“Rashid rover is part of an ambitious space programme for the UAE. It started with Mars, then to the Moon, and our goal is to reach Venus. Our goal is to transfer knowledge, develop our capabilities, and add a scientific footprint in human history.”
The lunar craft is equipped with solar panels and camera technology capable of capturing and transmitting images of the lunar surface back to earth. When it lands, the UAE rover will operate on the surface for about 10 days to study the characteristic of the electrostatic charging of the lunar surface. (bp)