The UAE’s Ambitious Interplanetary Expedition
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled plans for an eight-year space mission targeting the asteroid belt, aiming to study seven asteroids located between Mars and Jupiter. The mission includes a historic landing on asteroid 269 Justitia scheduled for 2036. Launch is set for March 2028 from a Japanese spaceport. The spacecraft, named MBR Explorer, will utilize gravity assists from Venus and Earth, and deploy an AI-driven autonomous lander to carry out surface operations.
Mission Overview
Spanning eight years, the mission will explore seven asteroids, including 269 Justitia, notable for its roughly 50-kilometer diameter and striking red hue, reminiscent of icy bodies found in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. On October 1, 2023, Abu Dhabi hosted a press event showcasing the lander prototype, which is currently preserved in a vacuum chamber before being shipped to Colorado, USA. The main spacecraft was developed by the UAE Space Agency and builds upon the success of the Hope probe, which has been operational since 2021.
The mission’s trajectory will cover approximately five billion kilometers—equivalent to 125,000 orbits around Earth. Along its path, the probe will fly by the asteroids:
- Westervald
- Chimera
- Rocox
- Gaff
- Osha
- Mosa
Contact with 269 Justitia is planned for 2036. The MBR Explorer will orbit the asteroid for around seven months before releasing the lander module from an altitude of 250 kilometers. The descent is expected to last about three hours. Operating autonomously, the lander will rely on onboard artificial intelligence to determine when to capture images and transmit data back to Earth.
"We don’t yet know what discoveries await us on the surface, and that’s the true essence of exploration," said Elias Tsutsanis, chief scientist at the TII institute.
Faisal Al Bannai emphasized, "This milestone fills our nation with immense pride."
This mission represents a major advancement for the UAE’s rapidly evolving space program, showcasing the country’s growing ambitions in space exploration. Studying these asteroids could yield valuable insights into the formation of our solar system and future opportunities for harvesting space resources. The integration of artificial intelligence highlights the UAE’s commitment to cutting-edge innovation in its extraterrestrial endeavors.