UAE: MBRSC, Airbus partner for Emirates Lunar Mission

The AI-equipped lunar rover named Rashid will be sent to the moon next year with the aid of ispace’s Lunar Lander

Nandini Sircar

Published: Thu 28 Oct 2021, 3:51 AM

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has joined forces with Airbus Defence and Space for the Emirates Lunar Mission.

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The MBRSC recently signed an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space, a division of Airbus responsible for defence and aerospace products and services, for collaboration on the country’s Mission to Moon for ‘in-situ’ tests.

These tests are conducted on or in the soil at site on the moon’s surface by means of the material adhesive demonstration (MAD) experiment.

The MoU was signed by Salem AlMarri, deputy director-general, MBRSC, and Andreas Lindenthal, head of business operations and products, Airbus Space Systems, on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress, the world’s premier space event, being held at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, director-general, MBRSC, said: “The agreement underlines the common will of both MBRSC and Airbus to advance our cooperation and join forces in our effort to learn more about the lunar surface. We look forward to continued collaboration on projects in space and space resources utilisation in the future.”

The MoU details other scope of work by building on key capabilities from each other for lunar surface operations, including mobility, robotics and regolith processing, among others.

The AI-equipped lunar rover named Rashid will be sent to the moon next year with the aid of ispace’s Lunar Lander.

UAE's mission to the moon: Rover landing site revealed

Jean-Marc Nasr, head of space systems at Airbus, said: “The UAE has made great strides in the field of space with a successful mission to Mars through the Hope Probe, as well as sending the first Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station.

"The UAE is setting a global example and has become the source of inspiration for youth, not just here but across the world. As the country is embarking on its next ambitious space projects, we’re honoured to be signing this MoU with MBRSC, which is a strategic step to expand our contribution to supporting the government achieve its goal of becoming a well-recognised and leading country in the field of space exploration.”