Watch: Sharjah centre observes Nasa's Artemis II historic moon mission

The Sharjah Observatory at the Sharjah Space and Astronomy Hub (SSAH) observed the Artemis II spacecraft early Saturday morning, between 4am and 5am.

NASA sent four astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over 53 years with its Artemis II mission, currently en route as part of the second phase of the Artemis programme.

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The mission marked a major step in humanity’s renewed push for lunar exploration, as the US works to strengthen its position in space amid growing competition from China.

Watch as SSAH records this landmark moment:

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The crew, three American astronauts and one Canadian, launched on Wednesday, April 1, aboard Nasa's Orion capsule and Space Launch System rocket.

According to the hub, the mission represents a major step toward returning humans to the lunar surface, with a focus on long-term, sustainable exploration.

It also aims to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon, while paving the way for future missions to Mars.

Their 10-day journey will take the astronauts around the moon and back, carrying them farther into space than humans have ever travelled before.

Artemis II, the first crewed mission in NASA’s Artemis programme, which has cost at least $93 billion since 2012, is part of a long-term plan to establish regular trips to the Moon.

Humans had not landed on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and NASA is aiming to achieve another landing by 2028 at the rugged lunar south pole.

Over five years ago, on October 13, 2020, the UAE Space Agency (UAESA) made a landmark move by signing NASA’s Artemis Accords.

This decision placed the UAE alongside the seven original signatory nations, all dedicated to fostering safe and responsible international collaboration in space.

By joining the accords, the UAE is strengthening global partnerships that will be crucial for establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon later this decade. These efforts are also laying the groundwork for a historic human mission to Mars.

Although the UAE is a young country with a recently established space programme, it has achieved impressive milestones in space science and exploration.

For instance, the nation has successfully launched multiple satellites and launched the UAE Astronaut Programme, which made history in 2019 when Hazza AlMansoori became the first Emirati astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS).