The UAE will explore Venus as well as seven asteroids in its new space mission.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, said the new mission comes in the wake of the country’s 50 projects announcement.
The mission is scheduled to be launched in 2028 and is primarily aimed at exploring the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, where most meteorites that impact earth are found.
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“Today, the UAE launched, among the 50 projects, a new space mission to explore planet Venus and seven other [asteroids] in the solar system,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.
According to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the launch of the new project will help explore Venus and the asteroid belt which is “an ambitious new goal for our country’s burgeoning space programme.”
“The UAE is determined to make a meaningful contribution to space exploration, scientific research and our understanding of the solar system.”
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The asteroid belt is 3.6 billion kilometres away and the distance is roughly seven times the length of the Hope probe’s trip to Mars. The spacecraft will take seven years to be built with the launch scheduled for 2028 and the journey is expected to last five years.
The new Emirati space mission is designed to strengthen the country’s space engineering, scientific research and exploration capabilities.
The new mission will also invite participation from Emirati private sector companies. (AW)
