The MBR Explorer spacecraft is set to be launched in March 2028, circling around 7 asteroids within the Main Asteroid Belt. This belt lies between Mars and Jupiter and is home to most known asteroids, with approximately 1.1-1.9 million asteroids larger than 1 km in diameter and millions of smaller ones. By May 2035, the spacecraft will land on its final destination, an asteroid named Justitia. If successful, this will mark the Middle East’s first mission and the fifth worldwide to land on an asteroid – a challenging, costly, and time-consuming endeavor.
The Main Asteroid Belt (White Dots) Located between the Orbits of Mars and Jupiter, Home to Most Known Asteroids. Image: NASA.
The UAE’s goal is to study the origin and evolution of water-rich asteroids. Surveying these 7 asteroids will provide insights into the source of water on Earth and other planets in the Solar System.
The MBR Explorer will travel at a speed of 33,000 km/h, passing within 150 km of the 7 asteroids. Equipped with 2 cameras and 2 spectrometers, the spacecraft will capture high-resolution images and collect data on the temperature and geological features of the asteroids. It will also gather information about the size, roughness, minerals, and organic materials on their surfaces.
Notably, the MBR Explorer will land on the surface of the 54 km diameter Justitia asteroid in May 2035, following a 7-month orbit around it, starting from October 2034.
“Over 7 months, we will conduct in-depth studies of Justitia, identify the landing site, and perform some orbit maneuvers before deploying the landing spacecraft,” said Mohammed Alameri, a mechanical engineer on the UAE’s asteroid belt exploration mission.
Illustration of UAE’s Spacecraft Exploring an Asteroid: A Glimpse into Cosmic Exploration
Scientists hope to gain a better understanding of Justitia’s origin. AlMazmi explained that the asteroid’s deep red color comes from complex organic material on its surface. Such reddish objects are typically found in more distant asteroid populations, such as the Kuiper Belt near Pluto. It’s possible that this celestial body formed farther out and migrated inward into the Solar System.
To date, only 4 space missions have successfully landed on asteroids. Japan’s missions landed on Itokawa in 2005 and Ryugu in 2018, while NASA’s spacecraft touched down on Bennu in 2020 and Eros in 2001.
“These are relatively small objects, very challenging to land on because there’s no gravity to hold the spacecraft to the surface,” noted Kevin Walsh, an astronomer at the Southwest Research Institute, emphasizing that this is a fundamentally different mission from landing on a planet or a larger celestial body.