UAE Asteroid Belt Mission on Track for Early 2028 Launch as Lander Clears Tests

Al Awadhi said the mission's lander was designed, developed, assembled and tested entirely in the UAE in less than two years. It has passed the technical and environmental tests needed to confirm flight readiness. The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) played a key role in building it, working with national research institutions and companies.

The lander is now being prepared for transfer to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. There it will be integrated with the MBR Explorer spacecraft and tested further. The lander can operate autonomously without direct control from Earth.

From Design to Integration

According to WAM, the mission entered its assembly, integration and testing phase after the spacecraft completed its Critical Design Review in 2025 and its System Integration Review in September of that year. Teams are now integrating and testing the explorer's subsystems. The next steps are environmental testing of the integrated spacecraft, final readiness reviews and transport to the launch site in Japan. The launch window lasts only three weeks.

The eight-year mission will cover about five billion kilometres and study seven asteroids. The MBR Explorer is expected to reach its first target, 10253 Westerwald, in February 2030. Its final destination is 269 Justitia, which it will study from orbit for about seven months before releasing the lander to approach the surface and capture detailed images. Al Awadhi said Justitia's spectral characteristics suggest it may have formed in the Kuiper Belt before migrating to the main asteroid belt.

The spacecraft carries four main instruments: a high-resolution camera, a thermal infrared camera, a mid-wavelength infrared spectrometer and a thermal infrared spectrometer. The mission will study water-rich asteroids and their mineral and chemical make-up, and will also assess their resources and possible future uses. Data will be shared with the international research community.

Al Awadhi called EMA the most complex mission in the history of the UAE space programme. He pointed to gravity-assist manoeuvres around Venus, Earth and Mars, high-speed flybys of small asteroids, extreme temperature swings, and harder communications and power management as the spacecraft moves farther from the Sun.

Industrial and Talent Stakes

The UAE presents the mission as a long-term investment in its space industry and talent. About 150 Emirati professionals are working on it, according to Al Awadhi. National partners include TII, Khalifa University, New York University Abu Dhabi, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the Sharjah Space and Astronomy Hub, HEX20 and the National Space Science and Technology Center at United Arab Emirates University. International partners include LASP, the Italian Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The mission supports the UAE's National Space Strategy 2031, which aims to build a competitive space sector that contributes more to the national economy. Building the lander domestically, rather than buying it, is the kind of capability transfer the strategy is meant to deliver. Mission teams presented 10 technical papers at the 2026 International Astronautical Congress.