The UAE spacecraft will be sent to the asteroid belt. Photo: Fortune Magazine
United Arab Emirates: After the success of the Mars mission, the United Arab Emirates has now decided to conquer the outermost part of the solar system. Therefore, in the year 2028, a modern spacecraft will be sent to the asteroid belt.
The project is called the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt or EMA. It will study the close passes of six large asteroids before reaching its final destination. Among them is a somewhat mysterious red asteroid that is said to have played a role in the origin of life on Earth.
This significant asteroid was discovered in 2021 and is 30 miles wide. It has been named 269 Justicia, one of the two known red planets. Its characteristic color is due to organic compounds called ‘Tholins’. These elements are more common in Kuiper Belt ice bodies.
According to the Emirates Space Agency, the project has two main goals, firstly to acquire scientific research and technology and secondly to pave the way for commercial space technology in the country. It should be noted that the space mission has been named after the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It will be worked on vigorously for the next six years. After leaving Earth in 2028, it will reach the first asteroid in 2030.
The spectrograph on it will be developed by the Italian Space Agency, while the Malin Space Company in the United States will also develop two advanced cameras. The University of Colorado has also shared this mission.
It should be noted that Mars has an asteroid belt where countless small and large bodies are in orbit.