Dubai’s MBRSC installs RTx radar transmitter on Rashid Rover 2 ahead of far-side Moon mission.
Dubai: The UAE has achieved another key milestone in its lunar ambitions, with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announcing on Tuesday the successful integration of RTx, a ground-penetrating radar transmitter, onto Rashid Rover 2.
The development brings the Emirates Lunar Mission another step closer to its planned journey to the far side of the Moon.
The newly integrated payload will allow the rover to transmit radio signals capable of penetrating up to 100 metres beneath the lunar surface, enabling scientists to study subsurface structures and gain valuable insights into what lies below the Moon’s surface.
Second attempt at the Moon
Rashid Rover 2 was announced following the first Emirates Lunar Mission involving Rashid Rover 1. The first Arab-built lunar rover was unable to reach the Moon’s surface intact in April 2023 after the lander carrying it failed to complete a soft landing.
The UAE has since been working towards a second lunar mission. Earlier in 2025, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, witnessed the signing of a strategic agreement between MBRSC and Firefly Aerospace.
Under the agreement, Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander will transport Rashid Rover 2 to the Moon, supporting the UAE’s renewed effort to explore the lunar surface.
MBRSC completed the development of Rashid Rover 2 following an extensive series of tests in the UAE and overseas. The rover underwent thermal vacuum testing at the French space agency CNES in Toulouse before returning to the UAE, where engineers evaluated its solar panels and tested the deployment of its antenna and robotic arm under simulated lunar-gravity conditions.
Vibration testing was also carried out at EARTH, a subsidiary of EDGE Group, to recreate the forces the rover is expected to experience during launch, lunar descent and touchdown. Following the completion of these tests, Rashid Rover 2 was shipped to the United States for the next stage of preparations with Firefly Aerospace.
What RTx will do
The rover is currently undergoing payload integration and mission-readiness preparations ahead of its expected launch aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2, according to MBRSC.
Once deployed on the Moon, Rashid Rover 2 will examine the lunar terrain, surface composition and thermal characteristics. It will also investigate how different materials respond to the harsh lunar environment, monitor plasma activity near the surface and gather data that could help shape future Moon missions.
RTx is being developed through a collaboration involving NASA, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Heliospace Corp. and Southwest Research Institute. Radio signals transmitted by RTx will be detected by the LuSEE-Night radio astronomy spectrometer aboard the lander.
The experiment is expected to provide scientists with new insights into the Moon’s history of meteorite impacts and help investigate iron- and titanium-bearing minerals beneath the lunar surface.
MBRSC and NASA are also exploring opportunities to use RTx in connection with a potential future Moon Base collaboration.
‘Unique data’
Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, Project Manager of the Emirates Lunar Mission at MBRSC, described the integration of the RTx payload as another important milestone in preparations for Rashid Rover 2’s journey to the far side of the Moon.
He said the addition of RTx will enhance the mission’s scientific capabilities, allowing researchers to gain deeper insights into the Moon’s formation, geological history and mineral composition. As preparations move towards mission readiness, the team is focused on ensuring the rover can gather distinctive scientific data that will contribute to future lunar exploration efforts.
The Emirates Lunar Mission is funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), which supports research and development initiatives within the UAE’s information and communications technology sector.
