UAE moon rover, Japanese lander set to launch atop SpaceX rocket in November - Space.com

The Japanese Hakuto-R lander and UAE’s Rashid 1 rover are due to launch between Nov.

The combined spacecraft will be taking a low-energy route to the moon rather than a direct approach, according to ispace, meaning the landing will take around five months after launch, in March 2023.

The Rashid 1 rover was developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai.

At 22 pounds (10 kilograms), it would be the smallest rover to land on the moon and is expected to operate on the surface for a single lunar day.

The UAE, which already has a Mars orbiter, does not have its own lunar landing capabilities and has contracted the private Japanese firm ispace to fulfill that role.

— Japanese ispace lander to carry UAE moon rover to lunar surface in 2022.

The Hakuto-R lander will be flying on ispace’s first mission and will seek to demonstrate capabilities as well!

The firm is also working on its Mission 2, set for launch in 2024, and Mission 3, for 2025, which will use a second-generation lander.

NASA's Artemis 1 mission carries among its 10 payloads a small JAXA lander weighing about 30 pounds (14 kg) that will attempt a controlled lunar landing.

The UAE and China also recently announced a partnership to put the Rashid 2 lander on the moon as part of China’s Chang'e 7 lunar south pole landing mission, currently scheduled for 2026.