The UAE’s Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) is on track to launch in the first quarter of 2028, with the MBR Explorer set to travel about five billion kilometres and study seven asteroids.
According to the UAE Space Agency, the mission has entered its assembly, integration and testing phase. Its lander was designed, built, assembled and tested entirely in the UAE in less than two years, and has completed technical and environmental tests. It will eventually approach asteroid 269 Justitia to capture detailed images.
The spacecraft is being integrated with the lander at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder before further testing and shipment to the launch site in Japan. The mission’s first asteroid encounter, with 10253 Westerwald, is expected in February 2030.
EMA will investigate the composition, origins and evolution of water-rich asteroids, including possible evidence of water and organic compounds. Its instruments will study their terrain, mineral composition and chemical characteristics, with data to be shared with the international research community.
About 150 Emirati professionals are working on the mission alongside international partners. The company said 50% of the mission’s work has been allocated to private-sector companies, creating opportunities in spacecraft engineering, navigation, autonomous landing systems, space operations and scientific data analysis.
Source: Zawya
