Rashid 2

Rashid 2
OperatorUnited Arab Emirates MBRSC
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeLunar rover
Start of mission
Launch date2027 (planned)
Emirates Planetary Programme

Rashid 2 is a lunar rover developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) as the second rover of the Emirates Lunar Mission program. It is planned to be delivered to the far side of the Moon in 2027 aboard Blue Ghost Mission 2.

Instruments

PLATE

The Pilot Lunar Abrasion Technical Experiment (PLATE), developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), consists of aluminum plates attached to the wheels of the rover, designed to record detrimental scratches and dents caused by the lunar environment during the rover's operations. This materials experiment is expected to provide insights for improving design of future planetary rovers.

RTx

The RTx ground-penetrating radar transmitter, developed by NASA, is designed to transmit signals that can probe up to 100 metres below the lunar surface. The signals will be received by the LuSEE-Night instrument on the lander.

History

In September 2026, MBRSC completed the integration of the RTx transmitter onto Rashid 2.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Faleti, Joshua (2025-05-29). "Firefly Aerospace to Land Rashid 2 Rover on the Moon Alongside NASA, ESA Payloads". SpaceWatch.GLOBAL. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  2. ↑ "Firefly Aerospace adds UAE's Rashid 2 Rover to Blue Ghost mission to the far side of the moon – SatNews". satnews.com. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  3. ↑ "Emirati scientists conduct series of preparatory tests on Rashid Rover 2 - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". 2025-12-12. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  4. ↑ Bickel, V. T.; Kolvenbach, H.; Schwarb, E.; Els, S. G.; AlShehhi, A. M. (2025-07-25). "PLATE — a Passive, Light-Weight Wheel Abrasion and Terramechanics Experiment". Space Science Reviews. 221 (5): 71. doi:10.1007/s11214-025-01198-y. ISSN 1572-9672.
  5. ↑ "Science and technology for the Moon". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  6. ↑ "UAE's Rashid Rover 2 marks another major milestone". Dubai Eye 103.8. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  7. ↑ Digital, Traffic. "MBRSC announces integration of RTx payload on Rashid Rover2". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  8. ↑ Saseendran, Sajila (2026-09-29). "UAE's Rashid Rover 2 Moon mission hits new milestone: Radar to probe 100 metres below lunar surface". Gulf News. Retrieved 2026-10-29.