In a groundbreaking venture, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has unveiled its plans to send a spaceship on a mission to explore the main asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Named MBR Explorer, the spacecraft is scheduled to launch in March 2028, embarking on a voyage covering a distance of 5 billion kilometers to unravel the mysteries of the solar system’s origins and seek clues to the emergence of life found within the asteroid belt.
During its journey, the MBR Explorer will traverse Mars before delving into the main asteroid belt, where it will study seven asteroids. The pinnacle of the mission will be the deployment of a landing craft onto one of these asteroids in 2034.
Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum tweeted that this 13-year undertaking will cover a distance ten times greater than that of the UAE’s previous space endeavor, the ‘Hope Probe,’ which launched in 2021 and aims to provide fresh insights into Mars.
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
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “The Emirates Mission to the asteroid belt is a massive scientific project that will result in the establishment of private Emirati companies specialized in space science and technology.”
The mission encompasses a six-year spacecraft development phase, followed by a seven-year flight to the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. The spacecraft will conduct close flybys of seven main belt asteroids, allowing for unique observations. This ambitious undertaking will culminate in the deployment of a landing craft, developed entirely by UAE private start-up companies, onto a rare “red” asteroid. Scientists believe that this specific asteroid holds potential insight into the fundamental building blocks of life on Earth.
According to the state news agency (WAM), the multi-asteroid tour aims to investigate the possibility of utilizing water-rich asteroids as a valuable resource. It will also evaluate the presence of volatile and organic compounds within the asteroid belt, which are crucial elements in the formation of life on our planet. Furthermore, the mission will explore the potential for future resource extraction from these asteroids.
The UAE made history in February 2021 when its Hope probe successfully entered Mars’ orbit on its first attempt, making it the first Arab country and only the second nation ever to achieve this milestone. The unmanned spacecraft is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Martian atmosphere and its layers, shedding light on key questions regarding the climate and composition of the Red Planet.
