UAE announces space mission: MBR Explorer to tour asteroid belt

Image credit: Twitter/@HHShkMohd

The United Arab Emirates has announced a space mission that will explore the asteroid belt. The mission will launch a spacecraft “MBR Explorer” in 2028 that will travel for seven years to land on an asteroid in 2034.

The space explorer has been named after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed said, “The UAE can soar for five-billion-km for one reason: Its belief in its youth.”

“For Emiratis, our motto will always be ‘nothing is impossible”, he added.

The announcement of the new space mission was made by the Dubai ruler in his tweet. He provided details of the upcoming space odyssey.

بحمدالله أطلقنا في قصر الوطن التفاصيل العلمية لأحد أهم مشاريعنا في مجال الفضاء “مشروع الإمارات لاستكشاف حزام الكويكبات ” . المشروع يستمر 13 عاماً.. 6 سنوات للتطوير و7 سنوات رحلة استكشاف.. ستقطع خلالها المركبة الاماراتية MBR Explorer ٥ مليار كيلومتر متجاوزة كوكب المريخ لاستشكاف… pic.twitter.com/C0peR7JAMe

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) May 29, 2023

Space mission to asteroid belt

The UAE Space Agency said the mission is to explore seven asteroids in the asteroid belt. The MBR Explorer will travel 10 times more than the UAE’s Hope Probe, which has been orbiting the red planet since 2021.

Hoor al Mazmi, deputy project scientist said, “The main scientific goal is to study the origin and evolution of the asteroid belt and asteroids that show signs of water.”

The UAE project will include the establishment of private Emirati companies in space technology, the establishment of a ground control centre for deep space missions, and the training of new Emirati cadres in this sector.

Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, the UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, said the announcement is a “ground-breaking mission to tour the asteroid belt and deploy a lander on an asteroid.” She added the project’s overarching aim is, “to deepen our understanding of the solar system’s fundamental makeup.”

The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt exemplifies our nation’s commitment to pushing boundaries in space exploration. Venturing beyond Mars with a ground-breaking mission touring the asteroid belt and deploying a lander on an asteroid, EMA aims to deepen our understanding of… pic.twitter.com/AqUIg73MYU

— Sarah Al Amiri (@SarahAmiri1) May 29, 2023

The UAE’s mission to Mars was the first by an Arab country and the MBR Explorer hopes to push the envelope further in the exploration of space and space technology. The UAE has also sent its first astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi into space in March this year.