Abu dhabi: According to a statement released on Wednesday, the moon rover launch of the UAE has been postponed by one day due to "additional pre-flight checks."

According to a statement from SpaceX, the Rashid Rover, the first lunar mission for the Arab world, will now launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, on December 1 at 8:37 a.m. (GMT).

The UAE's lunar mission is a result of a collaboration with SpaceX and the Japanese company ispace inc., which developed the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander that is launched on a Falcon 9 rocket.

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After a five-month journey, the Emirati-built Rashid rover, which weighs 10 kilogrammes and is housed inside the Japanese lander, is scheduled to touch down in the Atlas crater on the visible side of the Moon around April 2023.

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The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center previously stated that after launch, the integrated spacecraft will use a low-energy approach rather than a direct approach to the moon.

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The UAE will become the fourth nation to set foot on the moon if the lunar mission is successful. The mission will also see the first spacecraft to land on the moon that was financed and developed by a private Japanese company.

Standing down from launch of ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1 to allow for additional pre-flight checkouts; now targeting Thursday, December 1 at 3:37 a.m. ET for liftoff

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 30, 2022