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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/30/uae-heading-to-asteroid-belt-as-it-announces-new-space-mission

UAE heading to asteroid belt as it announces new space mission
The spacecraft will travel to an asteroid called Justitia that could
give insight into the genesis of life on Earth.

This computer graphic rendering shows the MBR Explorer [UAE Space Agency
via AP]
Published On 30 May 2023
30 May 2023
The United Arab Emirates is planning to send a spaceship to explore the
solar system’s main asteroid belt in order to unearth clues about the
origins of life on Earth.

The country unveiled plans for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt
on Monday, hoping to launch the spacecraft, once it is built, in 2028 to
study seven asteroids.

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The 13-year project will take six years of development and seven years
of exploration, spanning more than 5 billion kilometres (about 3 billion
miles) and surpassing Mars, according to Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The spacecraft is named MBR, after the leader.

“The remarkable journey will be 10 times the distance covered by the
Hope Probe,” said Al Maktoum, referring to the UAE mission to Mars in
February 2021.

The Hope probe gave the UAE the honour of being the first Arab country
and the second country ever to successfully enter Mars’ orbit.

The latest spacecraft, if successful, will travel at a speed of 33,000km
(20,500 miles) per hour, reaching six asteroids, and terminating at a
seventh one in 2034 called Justitia, which could give more insight into
the genesis of life on Earth.

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This could happen through the study of the origins of organic compounds
like water, which have been found on some asteroids. Justitia in
particular is believed to have a number of organic substances on its
surface.

“It’s one of the two reddest objects in the asteroid belt, and
scientists don’t really understand why it’s so red,” said Hoor
al-Maazmi, a space science researcher at the UAE space agency, referring
to Justitia.

“There are theories about it being originally from the Kuiper Belt and
where there’s much more red objects there. So that’s one thing that we
can study because it has the potential for it to be water-rich as well,”
she added.

The explorer will be developed by private UAE start-up companies and
could be the start of the country’s desire to extract resources from
asteroids, or even its ambitious goal of building a colony on Mars by 2117.

The Gulf region has been innovating in the sector in recent years.

Last week, two Saudi astronauts travelled to the International Space
Station (ISS) for the first time.

This came on the heels of UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi becoming the
first Arab to undertake a spacewalk last month.

In 2019, Hazzaa al-Mansoori, also from the UAE, became the first Arab to
reach the International Space Station.

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SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES