UAE - Mubasher: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has partnered with the French space agency, CNES, which will offer MBRSC two optical cameras (CASPEX) for the Rashid rover on the Emirates Lunar Mission.
The two optical cameras on the top of the Rashid rover will provide high-resolution images in full HD, according to a press release on Monday.
The CASPEX camera will provide panoramic visibility for the rover's surroundings, while the rear-mounted CASPEX camera will deliver images of the lunar soil with a high spatial resolution to investigate the detailed wheel-soil interaction.
Under the Mars 2117 Programme, the Emirates Lunar Mission, funded by the ICT Fund under the Telecommunications And Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), aims to build a human colony on Mars.
The Director-General of MBRSC, Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, said: "The UAE aims to lead an innovative and sustainable exploration of the Moon through the Emirates Lunar Mission. Our partnership with CNES is a continuation of the already great collaborative effort with France and we will continue to strengthen it further."
Meanwhile, the Chairman and CEO of CNES, Philippe Baptiste, commented: "With MBRSC we have developed fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation. It will allow us not only to take French technology to the Moon and bring back data for our scientists but most and foremost to strengthen the relations between our respective technology and scientific ecosystems."
It is noteworthy to mention that in April 2021, Japan’s ispace has inked a contract with the MBRSC to transport Emirates Lunar Mission’s ‘Rashid’ rover to the Moon on ispace’s lunar lander in 2022.
