Abu Dhabi:The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) has unveiled the UAE-built probe for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), marking a significant milestone in the country's space ambitions.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the probe is set to travel to Colorado, United States, for its final integration with the MBR Explorer spacecraft. This integration will occur ahead of its planned launch in 2028.
The mission will be groundbreaking as TII's probe aims to image two planets and seven asteroids, flying past six in the main belt before landing on the seventh, 269 Justitia. If successful, Justitia will become only the seventh asteroid in history to be reached by a probe.
Dr. Najwa Aaraj, TII's Chief Executive Officer, stated that their teams have developed a system capable of enduring extreme conditions and delivering significant scientific data billions of kilometers from Earth. The mission showcases the UAE's growing scientific and engineering prowess.
The probe, developed entirely in Abu Dhabi by TII’s Propulsion and Space Research Center in collaboration with several UAE institutions, is the mission’s only deployable payload. It will detach from the MBR Explorer to make contact with Justitia's surface, operating autonomously to capture images and examine the asteroid’s surface.
The MBR Explorer spacecraft is expected to travel approximately five billion kilometers over eight years, using gravity-assisted maneuvers around Venus, Earth, and Mars, before reaching 269 Justitia. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Japan in March 2028, with a narrow launch window to align with interplanetary conditions.
Upon reaching Justitia, the spacecraft will spend around seven months in orbit, beginning at 250 kilometers and gradually descending. The probe will deploy during a low-altitude pass in early 2036 to land on the asteroid, capturing images and sending data back to the spacecraft. This data will help scientists analyze materials beneath the asteroid's surface that are otherwise unreachable from orbit.