Dubai, UAE – 18 September 2025: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has strengthened its collaboration with the French space agency, CNES, for the upcoming Emirates Lunar Mission’s Rashid Rover 2, set to launch to the Moon in 2026. The renewed partnership builds on earlier cooperation during the first Rashid Rover mission and aims to advance the scientific and technological scope of the UAE’s lunar exploration efforts.
The collaboration was formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General of MBRSC, and Lionel Suchet, Executive Vice-President of CNES, during the recent World Space Business Week in Paris. Under the agreement, CNES will contribute two cameras and a CASPEX module — flight-proven technologies used in previous space missions — to be integrated into Rashid Rover 2. These instruments will deliver high-resolution imagery from the lunar surface and support advanced image processing, enhancing the mission’s scientific output.
As part of the technical preparations, CNES hosted the Rashid Rover 2 engineering teams in Toulouse, where the rover underwent Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing. These tests replicated the extreme conditions of space, ensuring the rover and its systems can withstand the lunar environment, including severe temperature variations and vacuum exposure.
Earlier this year, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and President of MBRSC, witnessed the signing of a strategic agreement between MBRSC and Firefly Aerospace. Under this deal, Firefly Aerospace will provide the lunar lander to deliver Rashid Rover 2 to the far side of the Moon — a challenging and rarely explored region.
Rashid Rover 2 has been designed with ambitious scientific objectives. It will test new mobility solutions on the Moon’s far side, tackling rugged terrain and communication limitations. Among its key experiments, the rover will examine material adhesion by equipping its wheels with different materials to measure their resistance to lunar dust. Findings will inform the design of spacesuits, lunar surface habitats, and infrastructure critical for future exploration.
The rover will also carry instruments to study the Moon’s plasma environment, geology, and thermal properties. Research will include soil analysis, monitoring surface temperature variations, and studying the lunar photoelectron sheath. A radio transmitter onboard will enable communications with other payloads, broadening the mission’s scientific contributions.
Funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the Emirates Lunar Mission underscores the UAE’s commitment to advancing scientific research and innovation in the space sector. Rashid Rover 2’s success will mark another milestone in the country’s journey to become a leader in space exploration, while deepening international collaboration in cutting-edge science and technology.
