Hakuto-R Lander carrying UAE rover found on moon’s surface

DUBAI: The UAE’s Rashid Rover’s crash site on the moon has been located, it was revealed in new photographs released by NASA on Tuesday.

The rover, which was carried on the Hakuto-R Lander built by Japan’s ispace inc., crash-landed last month after the lander lost contact with mission control.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter took 10 images around the landing site, some showing large pieces of debris scattered across the surface. Narrow angle cameras were used to capture the site and to identify changes on the lunar surface.

A media briefing will be held by ispace on Friday to reveal reasons for the failed mission. During the initial investigation, the Japanese company said the remaining propellent in the lander decreased during the landing attempt, making the descent speed afterwards too fast.

The investigation suggested that the spacecraft may have run out of fuel during the landing attempt, which would have caused the engine to shut down leading to the crash.

The plan for the Rashid Rover was to spend 14 Earth days on the moon and capture photographs for the study of the planet’s geology.

The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is already working on a second rover, called the Rashid 2.