The Rashid Rover is scheduled to take off at 12:39 p.m. UAE time tomorrow
File photo
The Rashid Rover is set to make history when it lifts off tomorrow, marking the start of a space odyssey that will make the United Arab Emirates the fourth country to land on the Moon.
As the rover prepares for its epic liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, we meet the team behind the Emirates Lunar Mission (ELM) from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC).
The team was instrumental in developing the lander from scratch – and in various tweets posted by the MBRSC, the engineers can be seen talking about the challenges they faced and some of the key development moments of the rover.
Salem AlMarri, chief executive of MBRSC, said the mission was a “very challenging project” for the center – “because for the first time in our nearly 20-year history of space exploration, we will land on the surface of another celestial body”.
“Lunar surface landing poses different challenges than our previous experience orbiting Earth or Mars or orbiting Earth with humans,” he explained.
AlMarri added, “Secondly, operating on the surface of the Moon also poses other significant challenges. For us it is very strategic to launch such a project because for the first time in the history of this region we will land on another celestial body and explore an area of the Moon that has never been explored before by the man. We expect to obtain significant scientific results that will help in future human exploration of the Moon. Thanks to this project, we were able to develop unique capabilities in robotics and landing on the surface of the Moon and also be able to build for the first time a rover that will land on the Moon.
Meet the Rashid Rover team here:
Dr Sara AlMaeeni, Mobile Communication System and Scientific Officer
In the video tweeted by the MBRSC, Dr Sara AlMaeeni, rover communication system and chief scientist, Emirates Lunar Mission, has been part of the team since the mission was announced.
“One of the main challenges we faced was the lack of new missions to the surface of the Moon to consider as a reference. We overcame this challenge by conducting several studies and experiments that allowed us to understand the surface of the Moon. Moon and to verify the overseas technologies of the Rashid Rover,” she said.
For her, the key moment would be “the first contact between the Rashid Rover and the ground station”.
Reem AlMehisni, rover thermal engineering manager
“My role is to design, analyze and conduct experiments on the thermal management system to ensure that the instruments operate safely and efficiently in the face of temperature fluctuations on the Moon’s surface. Before the mission, I was part of the team that developed KhalifaSat and later I was selected to join the Emirates lunar mission when the preparations started,” says AlMehisni.
Defining the biggest challenge for her, she said: “One of the challenges I faced during the mission was understanding the complex and harsh thermal environment on the lunar surface. I overcame it by conducting research and experiments that simulated all the circumstances of that environment.
Shedding light on the critical moment, AlMehisni adds: “The moment I am waiting for is to receive the first data on the thermal state of the rover by which we will confirm its effectiveness against the thermal environment on the surface of the Moon. “
Ahmad Salem, Systems Engineering Manager
Salem says his role has been to connect all the systems so they work properly.
Speaking about his biggest challenge, Salem adds, “Our biggest challenge was time. The team performed perfectly and the feats achieved were never achieved. In my opinion, the main event is to reach the Moon. With the wheel’s first step completed on the surface of the Moon, we can successfully say: we have arrived at the Moon. »
Describing the Mission in one word, he adds: “Challenge”
Abdulla AlShehhi, mechanical engineering manager of the rover
“The first model was created for the mobility tests, then we worked on the qualification model which includes all the scientific and electronic instruments as well as the main payloads of the rover,” he said.
“The model was then subjected to tests simulating the launch environment, such as vibration and thermal tests. After confirming the good condition of the rover, we developed the flight model that will be launched into space and repeated the launch environment tests to verify that the rover was manufactured perfectly and that the electronic instruments are in good condition,” says AlShehhi.
Dr. Hamad AlMarzooqi, Project Manager, ELM
Highlighting how the engineers at MBRSC had to undergo numerous trials and tests while developing the rover, Dr. Hamad AlMarzooqi, Project Manager, Emirates Lunar Mission, MBRSC, in a tweet from the DMO said:
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