They were chauffeured in Ferrari and Bentley cars and got to dance to their heart's content in a private yacht party
[Editor's Note: This story was first published a few hours ahead of the target launch time on November 30. It has been revised to reflect the latest update.]
The UAE is all set to make history, with the Arab world's first lunar rover, the Rashid Rover, scheduled to take off as part of Japan-based ispace's Mission 1 tomorrow, December 11.
Salem AlMarri, Director-General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre (MBRSC), said the teams stationed in Florida and the control centre in Dubai are "fully prepared" for the mission.
Once launched, the spacecraft will take a low-energy route to the Moon rather than a direct approach. Mission 1 will venture out to deep space and back again "on a sweeping trajectory designed to reduce the amount of fuel the spacecraft needs to carry", according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
This means that the rover will land about five months after the launch — in April 2023.
The ESA will ensure communication between the spacecraft and its teams on Earth throughout the mission.
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Ispace fulfilled the first of its 10 success milestones on Tuesday: Completion of launch preparations. This included the integration of the Mission 1 lunar lander into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
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Ibrahim's father had previously made a heartfelt plea for his son's safe return