Mission type | Asteroid multiple-flyby/orbiter/lander |
---|---|
Operator | Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre |
Mission duration | Flyby phase: 8.5 years Orbiter phase: 7 months |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | March 2028 |
Rocket | H3 |
Launch site | Tanegashima, LA-Y2 |
Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
Flyby of Venus (gravity assist) | |
Closest approach | July 2028 [1] |
Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
Closest approach | May 2029 |
Flyby of 10253 Westerwald | |
Closest approach | February 2030 |
Flyby of 623 Chimaera | |
Closest approach | June 2030 |
Flyby of 13294 Rockox | |
Closest approach | January 2031 |
Flyby of Mars (gravity assist) | |
Closest approach | September 2031 |
Flyby of (88055) 2000 VA28 | |
Closest approach | July 2032 |
Flyby of (23871) 1998 RC76 | |
Closest approach | December 2032 |
Flyby of (59980) 1999 SG6 | |
Closest approach | August 2033 |
269 Justitia orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | October 2034 |
269 Justitia lander | |
Landing date | May 2035 |
The MBR Explorer is a planned UAESA space probe designed to journey to seven different main belt asteroids. [2] [3] Proposed under the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt,it is named in recognition of the foundational role driving the creation and growth of the UAE Space Program played by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,the vice president and the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. [4]
The mission to explore the asteroid belt was announced by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency in May 2023,and the launch is planned for March 2028. [5] [6] [7] Similarly to their previous Mars mission,the MBR Explorer will launch from Tanegashima Space Center,this time on an H3. [8]
The spacecraft will weigh around 2.8 tonnes and will travel at an average speed of 33,000 km/h. [9]
The MBR Explorer will visit asteroids 10253 Westerwald,623 Chimaera,13294 Rockox,(88055) 2000 VA28,(23871) 1998 RC76,and (59980) 1999 SG6,in a 5-billion-kilometre total journey, [4] [10] and will attempt to land on its seventh and final asteroid,269 Justitia in 2034. [9]
The spacecraft will also drop off a small lander to set down on Justitia's surface. [6]
269 Justitia is a fairly sizeable main belt asteroid around 50 km in diameter.
623 Chimaera is a minor planet,specifically an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt.
The New Frontiers program is a series of space exploration missions being conducted by NASA with the purpose of furthering the understanding of the Solar System. The program selects medium-class missions which can provide high science returns.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center "MBRSC is a Dubai Government organization working on the UAE space program,which includes various space satellites projects,such as the Emirates Mars Mission,the Emirates Lunar Mission,and the UAE astronaut program. The center actively works to promote space science and research in the region and encompasses the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST).
Artemis II is a scheduled mission of the NASA-led Artemis program. It will use the second launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and include the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft. The mission is scheduled for no earlier than September 2025. Four astronauts will perform a flyby of the Moon and return to Earth,becoming the first crew to travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II will be the first crewed launch from Launch Complex 39B of the Kennedy Space Center since STS-116 in 2006.
The UAE Space Agency (UAESA) is the space agency of the United Arab Emirates government responsible for the development of the country's space industry. It was created in 2014 and is responsible for developing and regulating the space sector in the UAE.
The Emirates Mars Mission is a United Arab Emirates Space Agency uncrewed space exploration mission to Mars. The Hope probe was launched on 20 July 2020,and went into orbit around Mars on 9 February 2021.
The Lunar Gateway,or simply Gateway,is a space station which is planned to be assembled in orbit around the Moon. The Gateway is intended to serve as a communication hub,science laboratory,and habitation module for astronauts as part of the Artemis program. It is a multinational collaborative project:participants include NASA,the European Space Agency (ESA),the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),the Canadian Space Agency (CSA),and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The Gateway is planned to be the first space station beyond low Earth orbit.
This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the 2020s.
Hazzaa AlMansoori (Arabic:هَزَّاعٱلْمَنْصُوْرِي,romanized: HazzāʿAl-Manṣūrī,surname also spelled "Al Mansoori",full name Hazzaa Ali Abdan Khalfan Al Mansoori is an Emirati najmonaut and the first person from the United Arab Emirates in space. In 2019,he embarked on the UAE's first scientific mission to the International Space Station. The mission carried the slogan 'Zayed's Ambition',making the UAE the 19th country worldwide,and the first country in the Arab region,to travel to the ISS. He also became the back-up astronaut for Sultan Al Neyadi for the UAE's second mission to the ISS,which is the longest Arab space mission. Previously,he was the UAE's youngest F-16 fighter pilot.
H.E. Dr. Sultan Saif Al Neyadi is an Emirati najmonaut and one of the first two najmonauts from the United Arab Emirates,along with Hazza Al Mansouri. He is the first Arab to serve on the International Space Station (ISS) for a 6-month mission,as part of Expedition 69 and the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. On 6 January 2024,Al Neyadi was appointed as the minister of state for youth in the United Arab Emirates,and was sworn in on 11 January 2024.
Tianwen-2 is a planned Chinese asteroid sample return and comet exploration mission that is currently under development. Tianwen-2 was originally known as ZhengHe.
The Emirates Lunar Mission is the first mission to the Moon from the United Arab Emirates.
This article documents expected notable spaceflight events during the year 2028.