The UAE was set to create history as the first Arab country and the fourth globally to land a spacecraft on the moon had the Emirati-built moon explorer Rashid Rover made a successful landing on the lunar surface.
Only the US, the former Soviet Union and China have successfully made soft lunar landing attempts. India and Israel had made hard landings on the moon, causing the landers to crash.
Japanese company iSpace, Hakuto-R lander was carrying UAE's Rashid Rover to the moon. The spacecraft was moving at nearly 6,000 km per hour.
The Hakuto-R lander crashlanded on the surface following a fast landing attempt.
The Rashid Rover was built by the Mohammed bin Rashid space centre in Dubai/
IMAGE: UAE engineers watch the trajectory of the spacecraft carrying the Rashid Rover as it attempts to land on the Moon from the Mohammed Bin Rashid space centre. All Photographs: Andrea DiCenzo/Getty Images
IMAGE: A UAE engineer watches the trajectory of the spacecraft as the Japanese spacecraft carrying the Rashid Rover loses contact with central command minutes before landing on the moon.
IMAGE: The Emirati-made Rashid Rover would have been the first Arab-made to land on the surface of the moon.
IMAGE: A copy of the Emirati-made Rashid Rover in the command centre of the Mohammed Bin Rashid space centre.
IMAGE: UAE engineers keeps a close watch on the trajectory of the spacecraft.
IMAGE: UAE engineers watch the trajectory of the spacecraft carrying the Rashid Rover, here and below.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
