Emirates unveil probe for journey past seven asteroids
The mission is due to depart in 2028 and deliver a lander to the asteroid Justitia.
The United Arab Emirates have unveiled a probe that will form part of a planned mission to seven asteroids. The mission is still in the development and integration phase and is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2028.
The probe was developed by the Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi. The device will be attached to the MBR Explorer, the main spacecraft of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt.
According to the mission plans, the spacecraft will first fly past several asteroids in the asteroid belt. The seventh destination is 269 Justitia, where the mission intends to deploy a lander. The mission therefore consists of both remote observations and a planned landing.
According to the institute, the probe will be taken to Colorado for final integration with the spacecraft. The system will undergo further testing there before travelling to Japan, where the launch is due to take place.
The United Arab Emirates previously announced the mission as a multi-year journey past Venus and through the asteroid belt. The total travel distance is estimated by Emirati authorities at about five billion kilometres, depending on the selected trajectory and gravity-assist manoeuvres.
The scientific objective is to study the composition and properties of asteroids. Such objects contain material left over from the formation of the Solar System, but the mission has not yet produced any measurement results.
The announcement is therefore primarily a technical milestone. The probe has been presented as built and ready for further integration, but the launch, journey and landing have yet to take place. A planned mission is no guarantee that all components will be carried out successfully.
The mission fits into the Emirates’ growing space ambitions. Its eventual value to science will depend on the quality of the instruments, the availability of the data and whether the planned lander remains operational.
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The mission, planned launch and unveiling of the probe have been confirmed by official sources. The text explicitly presents the scientific output and landing as future objectives, not as achieved results.
- confirmed The Emirates have unveiled a probe for the asteroid mission. — Reported by the Technology Innovation Institute and the Government of Dubai Media Office. source
- confirmed The mission is intended to investigate seven asteroids. — Mentioned by the UAE Space Agency and the Dubai Media Office. source
- confirmed The launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2028. — Mentioned by the UAE Space Agency. source
- confirmed 269 Justitia is the planned destination for the lander. — Mentioned in the official mission description. source
- confirmed The mission has not yet produced any measurement results. — The probe is still before launch; the sources report technical progress, not scientific data from the mission. source
Editor's note
This is a planned space mission, not completed scientific research. The technical status and schedule come from official Emirati sources; delays or changes remain possible.Sources
- Technology Innovation Institute Completes Asteroid-Landing Probe — Technology Innovation Institute
- Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt — UAE Space Agency
- Hamdan bin Mohammed witnesses unveiling of UAE-developed probe — Government of Dubai Media Office
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „ruimtevaart asteroïden”
- De Telegraaf — „ruimtevaart asteroïden”
- AD — „ruimtevaart asteroïden”