The eight-year mission will cover five billion kilometres, allowing scientists to study seven asteroids.
The UAE is preparing for one of its most ambitious space projects: the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2028. The eight-year mission will travel approximately five billion kilometres and study seven asteroids, giving scientists a closer look at the materials and conditions that shaped the early Solar System.
Beyond its scientific objectives, the mission is expected to strengthen the UAE’s space industry, develop national engineering expertise, and create new opportunities for private-sector companies.
Mohsen Al Awadhi, Director of the Space Missions Department at the UAE Space Agency, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the project has progressed into the spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing stage.
UAE Develops Asteroid Mission Lander in Less Than Two Years
One of the mission’s major engineering achievements is the EMA Lander, which has been designed, developed, assembled, and tested entirely in the UAE in less than two years.
According to Al Awadhi, the lander has completed the required technical and environmental tests to establish its flight readiness. It will eventually 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) has played a major role in developing the lander, working alongside national research institutions and companies. It is now being prepared for transfer to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States. There, it will be integrated with the MBR Explorer and undergo further testing.
The spacecraft passed its Critical Design Review in 2025, followed by its System Integration Review in September that year. Teams are now integrating and testing its subsystems before moving to the next phase, which will include environmental testing, final readiness reviews, and transportation to the launch site in Japan.
Five Billion Kilometres Across an Eight-Year Journey
The EMA mission is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2028, with its first asteroid encounter expected in February 2030. The MBR Explorer will then approach a series of seven asteroids during its journey.
Its first target will be asteroid 10253 Westerwald. The spacecraft will use a sequence of planetary gravity-assist manoeuvres involving Venus, Earth, and Mars to navigate its route through the Solar System.
The mission will examine the origins and evolution of water-rich asteroids, including their physical and chemical characteristics and mineral composition. These objects preserve materials dating back billions of years, offering scientists an opportunity to investigate the conditions that existed when the Solar System was forming.
Researchers are also interested in whether asteroids helped transport water and organic compounds to rocky planets. Studying their composition could provide further evidence about this process and help assess the resources they may contain for future space activities.
Examining seven asteroids within one mission will allow scientists to compare their characteristics, origins, and composition rather than studying each object in isolation.
Why Asteroid 269 Justitia Is a Major Scientific Target
Among the mission’s destinations, asteroid 269 Justitia holds particular scientific interest.
Its spectral characteristics suggest that it may have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a distant region of the outer Solar System, before migrating into the main asteroid belt.
Studying Justitia could provide evidence about how celestial bodies moved during the Solar System’s early history. It may also help researchers understand the movement of water and organic materials across different regions of the planetary system.
The MBR Explorer is expected to study the asteroid from orbit for approximately seven months before deploying the lander towards its surface. The lander will capture detailed images, adding another layer of information to the spacecraft’s observations.
Al Awadhi described EMA as the most complex mission in the UAE’s space programme to date, pointing to its travel distance, multiple asteroid destinations, and demanding operating conditions.
Temperature, Navigation and Communication Pose Major Challenges
The mission presents several engineering challenges. The spacecraft will experience substantial temperature variations as it travels near Venus and beyond Mars. It must also carry out precise navigation manoeuvres and high-speed flybys of relatively small asteroids.
Communication and power management will become increasingly difficult as the spacecraft moves farther from Earth. Greater distances mean longer signal delays, while the reduced availability of solar radiation affects the amount of power the spacecraft can generate.
To address these conditions, the MBR Explorer incorporates advanced thermal control and power management systems. The lander is also designed to operate autonomously, allowing it to carry out its activities without requiring direct intervention from Earth.
The launch itself presents another demanding requirement. The mission has a launch window of only three weeks, making detailed engineering planning, testing, and risk management essential.
Four Scientific Instruments Will Study Asteroid Composition
The MBR Explorer carries four principal scientific instruments:
- A high-resolution camera.
- A thermal infrared camera.
- A mid-wavelength infrared spectrometer.
- A thermal infrared spectrometer.
Together, these instruments will examine asteroid surfaces, terrain, mineral composition, and chemical characteristics. They will also search for signs of water and organic compounds.
The mission’s scientific data will be shared with the international research community, allowing scientists beyond the UAE to study the observations and contribute to further research.
Al Awadhi said mission teams presented 10 technical papers at the 2026 International Astronautical Congress. The papers covered the spacecraft’s development, engineering challenges, and related research.
International Partnerships Support UAE’s Deep-Space Ambitions
EMA brings together universities, research institutions, government organisations, and private companies from the UAE and abroad.
National partners 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 spacecraft development, launch operations, research, and access to Deep Space Network services.
Approximately 150 Emirati professionals are working on the mission alongside international teams. Their involvement provides direct experience in spacecraft design, development, assembly, testing, and operations.
Al Awadhi said the partnerships are intended to go beyond access to foreign expertise and technical services. They give Emirati engineers and scientists opportunities to participate directly in the different stages of a complex interplanetary mission.
Private Sector to Handle 50% of Mission Work
The mission is also expected to contribute to the UAE’s broader economic and industrial ambitions.
Under the project, 50% of the mission’s work has been allocated to private-sector companies. This creates opportunities for local businesses to develop space technologies, build technical capabilities, and compete for work in international markets.
The project is expected to create specialised roles for Emiratis in spacecraft engineering, interplanetary navigation, autonomous landing systems, space operations, and scientific data analysis.
It also supports the UAE National Space Strategy 2031, which aims to build a sustainable space sector and increase its contribution to the national economy.
The mission builds on experience gained through earlier national projects, particularly the Hope Probe, while taking the country’s scientific and engineering capabilities into more demanding areas of space exploration.
UAE Looks Beyond the Scientific Results
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt represents a long-term investment in the UAE’s ability to design, build, and operate complex spacecraft.
Its success will be measured through more than the scientific information gathered from seven asteroids. The technologies developed, expertise gained by Emirati professionals, and opportunities created for national companies will also form part of its legacy.
With a launch planned for early 2028, EMA will take the UAE further into deep-space exploration while building capabilities that could support future missions.
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This photograph shows the UAE-built EMA Probe, a deployable payload for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), designed to make contact with the surface of asteroid 269 Justitia, during a press conference at Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council on October 1, 2026.
AFP/ Gulf News
