Chennai-based MSME plays crucial role in Arab world's first lunar rover

The Indian enterprise made key structural parts for the rover, from materials many times lighter and several times stronger than steel

The historical launch of the Arab world's first lunar rover on December 11 also marked the culmination of a two-year long effort by ST Advanced Composites (STAC), a Chennai-based MSME that had been entrusted with the task of manufacturing and supplying key structural parts fpr the rover.

The rover was named Rashid in memory of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, former ruler of Dubai. It was launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that took off from Florida in the US. The rover’s Chennai connection is expected to provide a fillip to the Make-in-India initiative in the defence and