Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai said the rover would be named “Rashid,” the same name of his late father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. (Representational Image: Getty Images)

A top official in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said his country plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, made the announcement on Twitter.

Sheikh Mohammed’s announcement comes after the launch of a Mars probe earlier this year by the UAE, an oil-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

Sheikh Mohammed said the rover would be named “Rashid,” the same name of his late father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

If successful in 2024, the UAE could become the fourth nation on the Earth to land a spacecraft on the moon, after the US, the Soviet Union and China. India has tried and failed to land a spacecraft, as has Israel and Japan.

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