Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt advances towards 2028 launch

The mission will study water-rich asteroids, their composition and evolution to better understand the early Solar System.

The UAE’s Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) is progressing towards its planned launch in Q1 2028, marking a major long-term investment in the country’s space sector, national talent development and the expansion of its space industry.

Mohsen Al Awadhi, Director of the Space Missions Department at the UAE Space Agency, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the mission has achieved significant milestones, including the development of the EMA Lander. Designed, developed, assembled and tested entirely in the UAE in less than two years, the lander has completed the required technical and environmental tests to demonstrate its readiness for flight.

Describing the lander as one of the mission’s major engineering achievements, Al Awadhi said it would separate from the MBR Explorer and approach the surface of asteroid 269 Justitia, the mission’s seventh and final destination, to capture detailed images.

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), alongside national research institutions and companies, played a key role in developing the lander. It is now being prepared for transfer to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US, where it will be integrated with the MBR Explorer and undergo further testing.

According to Al Awadhi, the mission has entered the assembly, integration and testing phase following the completion of the spacecraft’s Critical Design Review in 2025 and its System Integration Review in September of the same year.

Engineering teams are currently integrating and testing the explorer’s subsystems while preparing for the lander’s integration. The next phase will involve technical and environmental testing of the complete spacecraft, followed by final readiness reviews and its transportation to the launch site in Japan.

The mission remains scheduled for launch in Q1 2028. Its eight-year journey will cover approximately 5bn kms, with the MBR Explorer expected to reach its first asteroid, 10253 Westerwald, in February 2030.

Mission teams also presented 10 technical papers at the 2026 International Astronautical Congress, addressing development progress, engineering challenges and related research, Al Awadhi said.

The EMA mission aims to investigate the origins and evolution of water-rich asteroids, examining their physical and chemical properties and mineral composition. The findings are expected to improve scientific understanding of the primordial materials that contributed to the formation of the Solar System.

Asteroids preserve materials dating back billions of years, offering researchers insights into the early stages of the Solar System and the possible role these bodies played in transporting water and organic compounds to rocky planets. The mission will also examine their resources and potential applications in future space activities.

By exploring seven asteroids during a single mission, scientists will be able to compare their characteristics, compositions and origins. One of the key targets is 269 Justitia, whose spectral properties suggest it may have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a region in the outer Solar System, before moving into the main asteroid belt.

Al Awadhi said studying Justitia could provide further evidence of how celestial bodies migrated and how water and organic materials were transported during the Solar System’s early history.

He described EMA as the most complex mission undertaken in the UAE’s space programme, citing its extensive travel distance, multiple asteroid encounters and demanding operating conditions.

The mission faces several engineering challenges, including substantial temperature fluctuations near Venus and beyond Mars, precise navigation during gravity-assist manoeuvres involving Venus, Earth and Mars, and high-speed flybys of relatively small asteroids.

As the spacecraft moves farther from Earth, communication and power management will also become increasingly difficult due to signal delays and reduced solar radiation. To address these conditions, the spacecraft incorporates advanced power management and thermal control systems. The lander is also designed to operate autonomously without requiring direct intervention from Earth.

Al Awadhi noted that the mission’s launch window is limited to three weeks, making detailed engineering planning, comprehensive testing and risk management essential. These activities are being carried out in coordination with national and international partners.

The MBR Explorer is equipped with four main scientific instruments: a high-resolution camera, a thermal infrared camera, a mid-wavelength infrared spectrometer and a thermal infrared spectrometer. Together, they will examine asteroid surfaces and terrain, analyse mineral and chemical compositions, and search for signs of water and organic compounds.

At 269 Justitia, the explorer will conduct orbital observations for approximately seven months before deploying the lander to approach the asteroid’s surface and capture detailed images. Scientific data gathered throughout the mission will subsequently be made available to the international research community.

The mission involves a broad network of national and international partners. UAE-based organisations include the Technology Innovation Institute, Sharjah Space and Astronomy Hub, Khalifa University, New York University Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, HEX20 and the National Space Science and Technology Center at United Arab Emirates University.

International partners include the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Italian Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Their contributions cover areas such as mission development, launch operations and access to Deep Space Network services.

Approximately 150 Emirati professionals are participating in the project alongside international partners, gaining practical experience in spacecraft design, development, assembly, testing and operations. Al Awadhi said the partnerships extend beyond access to international expertise and technical services, allowing Emirati engineers and scientists to contribute directly throughout the mission’s different stages.

The project also supports the UAE National Space Strategy 2031, which aims to establish a competitive and sustainable space sector and increase its contribution to the national economy.

With half of the mission’s work allocated to private-sector companies, EMA is expected to create opportunities for the development of advanced space technologies, strengthen national technical expertise and improve the competitiveness of UAE companies in international markets.

The programme is also opening specialised career opportunities for Emiratis in spacecraft engineering, interplanetary navigation, autonomous landing systems, space operations and scientific data analysis.

Al Awadhi said EMA builds on the expertise developed through previous national space projects, particularly the Hope Probe, while taking the country’s scientific and engineering capabilities further.

He added that the mission’s achievements would be measured not only through scientific discoveries but also by the expertise and technologies developed, the competitive companies it helps establish, its contribution to the national space economy and the UAE’s preparedness for future space exploration programmes.