The UAE has unveiled plans to equip future rover vehicles on the Moon with advanced AI-powered navigation systems in the next phase of exploration efforts.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre has joined forces with the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and Aspire to enable a rover to “perceive and interpret its surroundings in real time” – effectively giving the vehicle eyes to guide its journey on the treacherous lunar surface.
The collaboration with the two companies – both subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council – is being heralded as one of the country's most sophisticated spacecraft subsystems to date.
It will consist of a radiation-tolerant computer and AI-driven software to give a rover self-driving capabilities on the lunar surface, using cameras and AI to see its surroundings and navigate obstacles by itself.
“MBRSC’s collaboration with TII and Aspire is a significant step forward in our commitment to building technologies that elevate the scientific value and safety of future missions,” said Dr Hamad Al Marzooqi, project manager for the Emirates Lunar Mission at MBRSC.
“Enabling a rover to perceive and interpret its surroundings in real time is a capability that will define the next phase of exploration on the lunar surface.
“It strengthens our long-term vision for contributing meaningful, high-impact systems to international deep-space efforts.”
The navigation system effort also supports the UAE’s wider national ambition to build AI-based technologies for space exploration.
Growing ambitions
The partnership, announced on the final day of the Dubai Airshow, will bolster the UAE's long-term quest to unravel the mysteries of the Moon.
It was confirmed this month that development and testing of the Emirates Lunar Mission’s Rashid Rover 2 is now complete.
The MBRSC said the rover had been sent to the US after comprehensive environmental and functional tests in the UAE.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, previously announced the UAE was to attempt to become only the second nation to land on the far side of the Moon.
The rover is undergoing the next stage of preparation, with US-based Firefly Aerospace, for the Emirates Lunar Mission scheduled for next year.
Rashid 2 will travel into space on board the Blue Ghost 2 lander, scheduled for launch in early 2026 for a landing attempt on the Moon’s far side – the unlit part – for a 10-day mission.
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