Today's Edition
SADEQ ALKHOORI (ABU DHABI)
As Artemis II carries astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, a UAE-based observatory has tracked Orion from Al Khatim, measuring its position and changes in brightness during the mission.
The observation gives the UAE a direct scientific link to a flight that NASA describes as the first crewed Artemis mission and the first human lunar flyby since Apollo.
Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, Director of the International Astronomical Centre, said Al Khatim Astronomical Observatory followed and photographed Orion for about half an hour in the early hours of Saturday, capturing 122 images as the spacecraft moved between the stars while carrying four astronauts towards the Moon.
Odeh said the work went beyond imaging. The observatory carried out astrometry to measure Orion's position precisely and photometry to track how its brightness changed over time.
During the observation, he said, the spacecraft's brightness shifted from magnitude 13.8 to 12.4 within seconds, likely because sunlight was reflecting off highly reflective surfaces such as solar arrays as Orion rotated.
At the time of the observation, Orion was about 192,000 kilometres from Earth and moving away at around 4,843km per hour, according to Odeh, who added that the results had been sent to relevant international bodies. This means the UAE observatory was not only recording a major space mission, but also producing live measurements during a crewed lunar flight.
NASA says Artemis II launched on April 1 as the first crewed test of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System. The mission is designed to test the systems needed for later deep-space flights and future lunar operations.
For the UAE, the timing is significant. The country is already tied to future lunar infrastructure through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre's role in Gateway. NASA and MBRSC say the UAE will provide the Crew and Science Airlock for the lunar space station, and that a UAE astronaut will fly to Gateway on a future mission.
MBRSC is also developing the Emirates Lunar Mission, including Rashid rover missions aimed at exploring different parts of the Moon. Taken alongside observation by Al Khatim, this points to a broader UAE presence in lunar exploration, spanning ground-based science, robotic exploration and future mission infrastructure.
Orion is a NASA spacecraft on an American-led mission, but the fact it was tracked and measured from the UAE on its way to the Moon shows how the country is beginning to connect to the lunar story in practical ways, not only through future partnerships but through present scientific work as well.
