The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre has announced an expansion of its collaboration with the National Centre for Space Studies in France. This partnership aims to equip the “Rashid 2” rover mission with innovative technologies that will enhance its scientific capabilities and operational efficiency.
This initiative is part of the centre’s ongoing preparations for the “Rashid 2” mission, which is set to be launched as part of the UAE’s lunar exploration project in 2026.
In a formal agreement, Saeed Hamid Al Marri, the director general of the centre, and Lionel Suchet, the deputy CEO of the French centre, signed a memorandum of understanding during the Global Space Sector Business Week held in Paris.
Under this agreement, the French centre will provide the “Rashid 2” rover with two cameras and a CASPEX unit—advanced equipment that has demonstrated effectiveness in previous space missions. This support aims to enhance image processing and achieve the mission’s scientific objectives on the lunar surface.
This collaboration builds on the successful partnership established during the “Rashid 1” mission. The “Rashid 2” team has already undergone thermal vacuum testing at the French facility in Toulouse to ensure the rover’s efficient performance in the harsh lunar environment.
The partnership forms part of a broader strategy for the mission, which has previously seen the signing of a strategic agreement with Firefly Aerospace to provide the landing platform for the “Rashid 2” rover on the far side of the moon. This event was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, affirming the UAE’s leading position in the field of space exploration.