Salaam - UAE Aims to Explore the Moon’s Far Side, Could Reveal Its Early Story
As-salamu alaykum - The UAE is preparing a lunar mission that will aim for the Moon’s far side, the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth. Regional scientists say this hidden side may hold important clues about how the Moon changed billions of years ago.
The far side has been mostly untouched since the Moon formed. Unlike the near side, which has large dark volcanic plains, the far side is rugged and heavily cratered. Those ancient features could show how the Moon’s crust formed and why the two sides look so different.
Dr Dimitra Atri, a lead researcher at NYU Abu Dhabi’s space exploration lab, explains that the near side experienced major volcanic flooding about three to four billion years ago, covering much of it with dark basaltic plains called maria. The far side, by contrast, has almost no maria - only around 1% - so its old, cratered highlands are largely preserved. That preservation may keep a record of the Moon’s earliest billion years that was erased on the near side. The big question is why volcanism was so uneven between the two hemispheres.
Studying the far side could help scientists better understand the Moon’s early impacts and its makeup. Samples from the far-side highlands could reveal the original composition of the lunar crust after the magma ocean solidified. The South Pole–Aitken basin, the Moon’s largest and oldest visible impact structure, has exposed deeper crustal layers. While it was once thought to have dug into the mantle, recent spectroscopy suggests it mostly revealed lower crustal rocks.
Landing on the Moon is hard engineering work, and most missions have touched down on the near side. Only a few have reached the far side - China’s Chang’e-4 succeeded in 2019, and Chang’e-6 returned samples in 2024, bringing back about 2 kg of lunar material from the Apollo Basin in the South Pole–Aitken region. Analyses indicate the far side’s crust may have formed under different thermal conditions than the near side, which helps explain the contrast: one hemisphere smooth and dark, the other bright and cratered.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) plans to send the Rashid 2 rover to the far side in 2026 - the Arab world’s first attempt to explore the Moon’s hidden face, insha’Allah. Rashid 2 will ride on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 2 lander; the exact landing site hasn’t been announced yet. This is the UAE’s second rover attempt after the first Rashid was lost when the Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander crashed in April 2023.
Rashid 2 is designed to carry out the same science goals within about 10 days: study lunar soil, test new materials, and take high-resolution pictures of the surface. If it succeeds, it will join the UAE’s growing list of space accomplishments, like the Hope Probe to Mars and Dr Sultan Al Neyadi’s six-month mission on the International Space Station in 2023.
Salem Humaid Al Marri, director general of MBRSC, said the completion of Rashid Rover 2 is an important step for the UAE’s lunar goals. With a mission to the far side, the country is entering territory few have explored, motivated by the search for new science and the desire to push the boundaries of what’s possible. The UAE’s progress reflects a commitment to advancing space science through cooperation, sharing knowledge, and developing technology that benefits humanity.
The UAE Space Agency is also planning the Emirates mission to the Asteroid Belt: the MBR Explorer is set to launch in 2028 to study seven asteroids and attempt a landing on one.
May Allah grant success to those seeking beneficial knowledge and protect the teams involved, ameen.
https://www.thenationalnews.co