| 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 ofVenus (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | July 2028[1] |
| Flyby ofEarth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | May 2029 |
| Flyby of10253 Westerwald | |
| Closest approach | February 2030 |
| Flyby of623 Chimaera | |
| Closest approach | June 2030 |
| Flyby of13294 Rockox | |
| Closest approach | January 2031 |
| Flyby ofMars (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 |
TheMBR Explorer is a plannedUAESAspace probe designed to journey to seven differentmain 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 bySheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and the prime minister of theUnited 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 previousMars mission, the MBR Explorer will launch fromTanegashima Space Center, this time on anH3.[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 asteroids10253 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]
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