I-United Arab Emirates (UAE) i-lunar rover yokuqala yehle ngempumelelo namuhla e-Cape Canaveral Space Station eFlorida. I-rover ye-UAE yethulwe ngerokhethi ye-SpaceX Falcon 9 ngo-02:38 ngesikhathi sendawo njengengxenye yomkhankaso we-UAE-Japan oya enyangeni. Uma kuphumelele, uphenyo luzokwenza i-UAE ibe yizwe lesine ukusebenzisa umkhumbi-mkhathi enyangeni, ngemuva kweChina, iRussia ne-United States.

Imishini ye-UAE-Japan ihlanganisa umnikazi wendawo obizwa ngokuthi i-Hakuto-R (okusho ukuthi “Unogwaja Omhlophe”) owakhiwe inkampani yaseJapane i-ispace. Umkhumbi-mkhathi uzothatha cishe izinyanga ezine ukufika eNyangeni ngaphambi kokuthi uhlale e-Atlas Crater ohlangothini oluseduze lweNyanga. Ibe idedela ngobumnene i-Rashid enamasondo amane engu-10kg (okusho “isiqondiso esingakwesokudla”) ukuze ihlole indawo yenyanga.

I-rover, eyakhiwe yi-Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, iqukethe ikhamera enesinqumo esiphezulu nekhamera ye-imaging eshisayo, kokubili okuzofunda ukwakheka kwe-regolith yenyanga. Bazophinde bathwebule ukunyakaza kothuli endaweni yenyanga, benze ukuhlola okuyisisekelo kwamatshe enyanga, futhi bafunde izimo ze-plasma.

Isici esithakazelisayo se-rover ukuthi izohlola izinto ezihlukahlukene ezihlukahlukene ezingasetshenziswa ukwenza amasondo enyanga. Lezi zinto zisetshenziswe ngendlela yamapheshana okunamathela kumasondo ka-Rashid ukuze kunqunywe ukuthi yikuphi okungavikela kangcono ngokumelene ne-moondust nezinye izimo ezinzima. Enye yezinto ezinjalo iyinhlanganisela esekwe ku-graphene eklanywe yiNyuvesi yaseCambridge e-UK kanye neNyuvesi Yamahhala yaseBrussels eBelgium.

“I-Cradle of Planetary Science”

Umkhankaso we-UAE-Japan ungowodwa ochungechungeni lokuvakasha kwenyanga okuqhubekayo noma okuhleliwe okwamanje. Ngo-August, iNingizimu Korea yethula i-orbiter ebizwa ngokuthi i-Danuri (okusho ukuthi “jabulela inyanga”). NgoNovemba, i-NASA yethula i-rocket ye-Artemis ephethe i-capsule ye-Orion ezogcina ibuyisele osomkhathi eNyangeni. Ngaleso sikhathi, i-India, iRussia neJapan bahlela ukwethula abahlali abangenamuntu engxenyeni yokuqala ka-2023.

Abathuthukisi bokuhlola iplanethi babona iNyanga njengendawo engokwemvelo yokwethula ohambweni lwabasebenzi oluya ku-Mars nangale kwayo. Kwethenjwa ukuthi ucwaningo lwesayensi luzokhombisa ukuthi amakoloni enyanga angakwazi yini ukuzimela kanye nokuthi izinsiza zenyanga zingabhebhethekisa lezi mishini. Okunye okungahle kube okukhangayo lapha eMhlabeni. Izazi zokuma kwamaplanethi zikholelwa ukuthi inhlabathi yenyanga iqukethe inani elikhulu le-helium-3, isotopu okulindeleke ukuthi isetshenziswe ekuhlanganiseni kwenuzi.

“Inyanga iwumthombo wesayensi yamaplanethi,” kusho isazi sokuma kwamaplanethi uDavid Blewett we-Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. “Singakwazi ukutadisha izinto enyangeni ezasulwa eMhlabeni ngenxa yendawo yayo esebenzayo.” Inhloso yakamuva iphinde ikhombise ukuthi izinkampani zentengiso seziqala ukwethula imisebenzi yazo, kunokuba zisebenze njengosonkontileka bakahulumeni. “Izinkampani, okuhlanganisa neziningi ezingekho emkhathini, seziqala ukukhombisa intshisekelo yazo,” engeza.