UAE's Rashid Rover now safely orbiting the Moon

Lunar lander Hakuto-R Mission 1, which is carrying the UAE-made Rashid Rover, is now safely orbiting the Moon. Japan-based ispace announced that the Mission-1 lander performed its first lunar orbit insertion manoeuvre on March 21. This was done after a controlled burn from its main propulsion system lasting several minutes.

“In general, all orbital control operations for Mission 1 have been completed as planned following launch. While the lander has performed multiple deep space manoeuvre operations, this one represents the longest burn performed by the propulsion system during the mission,” the company said.

The lunar landing is scheduled to take place late April. “Specific information on date and time of the landing will be announced in the future,” the company added.

A top official from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre had earlier said that estimated date of landing is April 25.

Hakuto-R was successfully launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on December 11, 2022 from Cape Canaveral.

• UAE Moon mission: Landing date of Rashid Rover revealed