I-lunar rover yokuqala ye-United Arab Emirates (UAE) isuke ngempumelelo namuhla isuka eCape Canaveral Space Station eFlorida. I-UAE rover yethulwe ngerokhethi ye-SpaceX Falcon 9 ngo-02:38 ngesikhathi sendawo njengengxenye yohambo lwe-UAE neJapan oluya enyangeni. Uma iphumelele, uphenyo luzokwenza i-UAE ibe yizwe lesine ukusebenzisa i-spacecraft enyangeni, ngemuva kweChina, iRussia ne-United States.

Umsebenzi we-UAE-Japan uhlanganisa umkhumbi-mkhathi obizwa ngokuthi iHakuto-R (okusho ukuthi “uNogwaja Omhlophe”) owakhiwe yinkampani yaseJapan i-ispace. Lo mkhathi-mkhathi uzothatha cishe izinyanga ezine ukufika eNyangeni ngaphambi kokuba ufike e-Atlas Crater ohlangothini oluseduze lweNyanga. Ngemuva kwalokho ukhulula kancane i-rover ene-Rashid (okusho ukuthi “iqondiswe ngakwesokudla”) enesisindo esingu-10kg ukuze ihlole ubuso benyanga.

I-rover, eyakhiwe yiMohammed bin Rashid Space Center, iqukethe ikhamera enekhwalithi ephezulu kanye nekhamera yokuthwebula izithombe ezishisayo, zombili ezizofunda ukwakheka kwe-lunar regolith. Zizophinde zithwebule ukunyakaza kothuli ebusweni benyanga, zenze ukuhlolwa okuyisisekelo kwamatshe enyanga, futhi zifunde izimo ze-plasma ebusweni.

Isici esithakazelisayo nge-rover ukuthi izohlola izinto ezahlukahlukene ezingasetshenziswa ukwenza amasondo enyanga. Lezi zinto zasetshenziswa ngendlela yemicu yokunamathela emasondweni kaRashid ukuze kutholakale ukuthi iyiphi ezovikela kangcono uthuli lwenyanga nezinye izimo ezinzima. Enye yezinto ezinjalo iyinhlanganisela esekelwe ku-graphene eklanywe yi-University of Cambridge e-UK kanye ne-Free University of Brussels eBelgium.

“Isizinda Sesayensi Yamaplanethi”

Umsebenzi we-UAE-Japan ungomunye nje ochungechungeni lokuvakasha enyangeni okuqhubeka noma okuhleliwe njengamanje. Ngo-Agasti, iNingizimu Korea yethule i-orbiter ebizwa ngokuthi i-Danuri (okusho ukuthi “jabulela inyanga”). NgoNovemba, i-NASA yethule irokhethi i-Artemis ephethe i-capsule i-Orion ezogcina ibuyisele osomkhathi eNyangeni. Okwamanje, i-India, iRussia neJapane zihlela ukudubula izindiza ezingenamuntu engxenyeni yokuqala ka-2023.

Abagqugquzeli bokuhlola amaplanethi babona iNyanga njengendawo yemvelo yokwethulwa kwemisebenzi yabasebenzi eya eMars nangale kwayo. Kuthenjwa ukuthi ucwaningo lwesayensi luzobonisa ukuthi amakoloni enyanga angazimela yini nokuthi izinsiza zenyanga zingawusekela yini lo msebenzi. Okunye okungenzeka kungaba kuhle lapha eMhlabeni. Izazi ze-geology zamaplanethi zikholelwa ukuthi inhlabathi yenyanga iqukethe inani elikhulu le-helium-3, i-isotope okulindeleke ukuthi isetshenziswe ekuhlanganiseni kwenuzi.

“INyanga iyisizinda sesayensi yamaplanethi,” kusho isazi sesayensi yeplanethi uDavid Blewett weJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. “Singafunda izinto ezisenyangeni ezasuswa eMhlabeni ngenxa yendawo yayo esebenzayo.” Umsebenzi wakamuva ubonisa nokuthi izinkampani zezentengiselwano seziqala ukuqalisa imisebenzi yazo, kunokuba zisebenze njengezinkontileka zikahulumeni. “Izinkampani, okuhlanganisa eziningi ezingekho ezindiza, seziqala ukukhombisa intshisekelo yazo,” enezela.