UAE Aims for Asteroid Belt With Launch of New Space Mission
The United Arab Emirates unveiled plans on Monday for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), a groundbreaking project designed to explore the main asteroid belt, promising to provide a significant boost to Emirati space startups.
The mission, slated for launch in 2028, will involve a spacecraft named MBR Explorer, in honor of the UAE’s vice president and prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The program intends to augment our understanding of the solar system’s foundations and origins of life, while also paving the way for potential future asteroid resource extraction.
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The EMA represents a 13-year commitment consisting of six years of spacecraft development followed by a seven-year flight to the asteroid belt beyond Mars. The mission is planned to conduct flybys of seven main belt asteroids and make detailed observations.
The ambitious space journey will culminate in a landing on the uniquely red asteroid, 269 Justitia. This pioneering initiative is expected to offer a wealth of economic opportunities, including the creation of new startups, international partnerships, and an influx of investment in the UAE’s burgeoning space sector.
