SpaceX sends Hakuto-R landing module and Rashid rover to the Moon

SpaceX used a Falcon 9 rocket to send into space the Japanese module Hakuto-R with the moon rover Rashid, which was developed in the UAE.

Here's What We Know

The mission lifted off at 09:38 a.m. (EET) on Dec. 11. The launch vehicle was launched from Cape Canaveral. The first stage returned to Earth eight minutes after liftoff. Japan's Hakuto-R landing module, ispace, separated from the Falcon 9 after 47 minutes of flight and headed toward the moon on its own.

The Hakuto-R is expected to reach Earth's natural satellite in the spring of 2023. It will be the first Japanese landing module on the moon. Hakuto-R will deliver the 10-kg Rashid rover, built in the United Arab Emirates. After landing, it will take photographs of the environment.

The Japanese company ispace will continue to develop the lunar program. In two years it will send another device to the moon, and in 2027 will deliver scientific equipment for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Source: space