UAE: The UAE’s MBR Explorer spacecraft for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) has reached flight readiness in less than two years, marking a significant milestone in the country’s growing deep-space programme.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said the probe had been developed, assembled and tested in the UAE, highlighting the capabilities of the country’s scientists and engineers.
5-Billion-Kilometre Journey to Seven Asteroids
More than 150 engineers and scientists are working as one national team on the mission, which is scheduled to launch from Japan in the first quarter of 2028.
The MBR Explorer will travel approximately 5 billion kilometres to study seven asteroids. It will use gravity-assist manoeuvres around Venus, Earth and Mars before reaching the main asteroid belt beyond Mars.
The spacecraft will conduct close flybys of six asteroids before reaching its final destination, 269 Justitia.
At Justitia, the mission will deploy a lander that will autonomously descend to the asteroid’s surface and collect scientific data.
Studying the Origins of the Solar System
Scientists expect the mission to provide information about the asteroids’ composition, geology, density and temperature, potentially offering new insights into the formation and evolution of the solar system.
Justitia is of particular scientific interest because it may have originated in the outer regions of the solar system before migrating into the main asteroid belt.
Studying the asteroid could help researchers better understand how water and organic materials were distributed during the formation of the planets.
UAE Strengthens Deep-Space Capabilities
Sheikh Hamdan said the UAE’s space programme has developed significantly since the establishment of the UAE Space Agency in 2014.
He pointed to the country’s satellite programmes, the Emirates Mars Mission, the Hope Probe’s orbit around Mars and Emirati astronauts travelling to the International Space Station as milestones in the development of the national space sector.
The asteroid mission brings together government organisations, universities, research institutions and private companies.
The UAE Space Agency is developing the probe in partnership with the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), HEX20, Khalifa University and the National Space Science and Technology Center at UAE University.
Around 50 per cent of the project’s work has been allocated to UAE-based private-sector companies, creating opportunities for startups, partnerships and investment in the national space industry.
Probe to Be Integrated Before 2028 Launch
Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said the probe’s progress demonstrates the capabilities being developed across the national space ecosystem.
The spacecraft is scheduled to be integrated with the MBR Explorer at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder ahead of its planned launch in 2028.
Faisal Al Bannai, Advisor to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology and Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council, said the mission demonstrates how advanced research can be translated into engineering capable of operating in deep space.
UAE Space Economy Exceeds Dh44 Billion
The asteroid mission is also part of the UAE’s broader effort to expand its space economy and create opportunities in advanced industries and scientific research.
Sheikh Hamdan said the UAE’s space sector is now worth more than Dh44 billion.
Under the National Space Strategy 2031, the UAE aims to double the returns of its space economy, increase its added value by 60 per cent and position the country among the world’s top 10 space economies.
The agreement to develop the EMA probe was signed in January 2025 between the UAE Space Agency and TII. Since then, the project has progressed from its initial concept stage to flight readiness in less than two years.
The mission builds on the UAE’s earlier achievements in Mars exploration and comes as the country expands its activities into lunar exploration and increasingly complex interplanetary missions.
