Emerging space powerhouse UAE “Asteroids go beyond Mars”… 2028 rover launch

Al Amari, UAE Minister of Advanced Science and Technology and Director of the Space Agency, gives a presentation on the space exploration project.[UAE 우주청 제공]

[헤럴드경제=구본혁 기자] The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will begin exploration of the asteroid belt led by a private company in 2028. After exploring seven asteroid belts, it plans to make a final landing on an asteroid in 2033. The UAE Space Agency today announced the launch of an interplanetary exploration project to further accelerate the development of space engineering, scientific research and exploration capabilities and to foster innovation and opportunity in the UAE’s private sector.

The new exploration project builds on the knowledge and lessons learned from the emirate’s Mars exploration project, and many private companies in the UAE will participate. The new probe, scheduled to launch in 2028, is primarily aimed at exploring the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the source of most meteorites affecting Earth.

The spacecraft will embark on a five-year, 3.6 billion-kilometer journey, performing gravity-assisted navigation, sequentially orbiting Venus and Earth to gain the momentum needed to reach the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. According to the orbit of Venus, the spacecraft must have significant heat resistance at a distance of 109 million km from the sun, and at a distance of 448 million km, a high level of insulation is required, as well as flying into space with minimal solar energy. should do

The spacecraft plans to study seven main asteroid belts during flight. The expedition will leverage the considerable history and intellectual property accumulated by the Emirates Mars Exploration Project and the Amal probe, which is currently in orbit and is collecting unique data on the composition and dynamics of Mars’ atmosphere.

The project is slated for a near-Earth orbit in mid-2029, following the first close-planet approach to orbit Venus in mid-2028. The first flight through the main asteroid belt is planned in 2030, and after exploring a total of seven main asteroid belts, the final landing is planned in 2033 on an asteroid 560 million kilometers from Earth. The UAE will be the fourth country to land a spacecraft on an asteroid.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, said, “The new exploration mission tests and expands the capabilities of young UAE talent to fulfill the space exploration aspirations of the UAE’s sovereign, Zayed. I am confident that our engineers who have led the way, as well as academia and research institutions, are ready to embark on a new and daring challenge.”

nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com