The UAE’s next lunar mission will target the far side of the Moon, which regional scientists say holds clues as to how it evolved billions of years ago.
The hemisphere, permanently facing away from Earth, has remained largely untouched since the Moon was first formed.
Unlike the near side, with its dark volcanic plains, the far side retains its rugged, heavily cratered surface, geological features that could reveal how the Moon’s crust developed and why its two halves are so different.
“The near side experienced massive volcanic flooding three to four billion years ago that covered about a third of its surface with dark basaltic lava plains called maria,” Dr Dimitra Atri, principal investigator at NYU Abu Dhabi’s space exploration laboratory, told The National.
“The far side has almost no maria, only about 1 per cent of its surface is volcanic. This means the far side’s ancient, heavily cratered highland crust remains largely intact, preserving a record of the Moon’s first billion years that’s been erased on the near side.
“The main problem that we need to address is why volcanism was so asymmetric.”
What challenges lie ahead?
Studying the far side could help scientists build a clearer picture of the Moon’s early impact history and composition.
“Far-side highland samples reveal the original composition of the lunar crust after the magma ocean crystallised,” said Dr Atri.
“The South Pole–Aitken basin, the Moon’s largest and oldest visible impact structure, has exposed deeper crustal layers. While it was originally thought to have excavated mantle material, current spectroscopic data suggests it primarily exposed lower crustal rocks.”
Only the US, China, India, Japan, Russia and two private companies have landed on the near side of the Moon because of the challenging engineering required.
Touching down on the far side is even more difficult, with only China having accomplished the feat with its Chang'e-4 mission in 2019 and Chang'e-6 in 2024.
Chang’e-6 made history by becoming the first to return samples from the Moon’s far side. It landed in the Apollo Basin within the South Pole–Aitken region and brought about 2kg of lunar material back to Earth.
Analysis has revealed the far side’s crust could have formed under different thermal conditions from the near side, which explains why one hemisphere is smooth and dark, while the other is heavily cratered and bright.
What is the target?
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) plans to send its Rashid 2 rover to the far side in 2026, in what will be the Arab world’s first attempt to explore the Moon’s hidden face.
The rover will travel aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 2 lander, with a touchdown site yet to be announced.
It will be the UAE’s second lunar mission, following the first Rashid rover that was lost when Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander crashed in April 2023.
The new rover has been designed to complete the same scientific objectives in 10 days, including studying lunar soil, testing new materials and capturing high-resolution imagery of the surface.
If successful, the Rashid 2 mission will add to the UAE’s growing list of space achievements, which include the Hope Probe mission to Mars and a six-month mission completed by Dr Sultan Al Neyadi on the International Space Station in 2023.
“The completion of Rashid Rover 2 represents a decisive step in advancing the UAE’s ambitions for lunar exploration," said Salem Humaid Al Marri, director general of MBRSC.
"With a mission set for the far side of the Moon, we are entering a domain few have explored, driven by the pursuit of new science and the desire to push the limits of what is possible.
"The progress we have made so far reflects the UAE’s belief in advancing space science through collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the development of technologies that serve the broader progress of humanity.”
The UAE Space Agency is also working on the Emirates mission to the Asteroid Belt, which involves the MBR Explorer taking off in 2028 to explore seven asteroids and attempt a landing on one.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" charset="UTF-8" /></head><body><!--PSTYLE=* Labels%3aFH Label 18 Sport--><p>Beach soccer</p><!--PSTYLE=BY Byline--><p>Amith Passela</p><p /></body></html>
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
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Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
