Rashid Rover sends first message to space centre: Sheikh Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has announced that "Rashid Rover has sent the first message to the space centre in Al Khawaneej".

Taking to his official social media handle, the Dubai Ruler said the message came "from a distance of 440,000 km from the surface of the Earth...".

Sheikh Mohammed added that "all the devices and systems of the explorer are working properly", adding that it has begun "to enter the orbit of the moon".

من على بعد 440 ألف كيلومتر من سطح الأرض .. أرسل المستكشف راشد قبل قليل أول رسالة لمركز الفضاء بالخوانيج .. جميع أجهزة وأنظمة المستكشف تعمل بشكل سليم .. وبدأ بدخول مدار القمر تمهيداً للهبوط خلال الأشهر القادمة باذن الله ..

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) December 14, 2022

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the UAE's Rashid rover blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the U.S. on Sunday. 

The four-wheeled rover, weighing 10 kilograms, will take a low-energy route to the moon rather than a direct approach, which means the landing will take about five months after launch, in April 2023.