Top Emirati official writes on Twitter that United Arab Emirates plans to send unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A top official in the United Arab Emirates says his country plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country’s vice president and prime minister, made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. 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. The announcement shows the rapid expansion of the country’s space program. Already, an Emirati space probe is hurtling through space on its way to Mars while last year it sent its first astronaut to the International Space Station.