Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) / MBR Explorer
UAE Space Agency mission whose MBR Explorer spacecraft is to fly past six main-belt asteroids and release a probe to land on a seventh, 269 Justitia; the agency's 2023 announcement gave 2034 for the landing and lists preparing for possible future resource extraction and assessing the resource potential of water-rich asteroids among its aims. On 4 October 2026 the Dubai Media Office reported that the UAE-built probe had reached flight readiness and was to be integrated with the spacecraft at LASP in Boulder ahead of a planned launch from Japan in the first quarter of 2028 (the 2023 announcement gave a launch period starting March 2028).
Objective. Characterize main-belt asteroids, including the resource potential of water-rich asteroids, to prepare for possible future resource extraction.
Facts
- Kind
- Spacecraft
- Mission type
- Prospecting
- Target
- Main-belt asteroidSeven main-belt asteroids; a probe is to separate and descend to the seventh, 269 Justitia (landing year 2034 in the 2023 announcement)What NASA/JPL lists for 269 Justitia (A887 SA)
- Launch
- Planned 2028-03 (window)Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-28.
- Launch vehicle
- H3
- Phase
- In developmentDubai Media Office (2026-10-04, rechecked 2026-10-28): probe at flight readiness, to be integrated at LASP ahead of a planned launch from Japan in the first quarter of 2028. UAE Space Agency announcement via Dubai Media Office (2023-05-29): three-week launch period starting March 2028. Dubai Media Office (2024-10-09): launch agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for an H3 launch in 2028.
- Outcome
- Not applicable
- Why it is included
- Stated resource objective
What comes next
Next recorded dates are plans, not results.
Launch: Planned 2028-03 (window)Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-28.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| UAE Space Agency | Operator |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Volatiles | Targeted |
Open evidence gaps
- Landing year remains unresolved. The 29 May 2023 Dubai Media Office statement says the seventh encounter in 2034 is a rendezvous and landing and that the spacecraft will release a lander. The National on 4 October 2026 says the mission reaches 269 Justitia in 2036 and that the deployable probe descends on a ballistic trajectory, striking at up to 27 metres per second. The 4 October 2026 Dubai Media Office statement gives no year. The newspaper does not replace the 2023 official statement.
- Mission partners (MBRSC and LASP) are not recorded as organizations here.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | target site | Seven main-belt asteroids; landing on the seventh (2034) | Seven main-belt asteroids; a probe is to separate and descend to the seventh, 269 Justitia (landing year 2034 in the 2023 announcement) | Source update | [6] |
Sources
12 excerpts from 5 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
- [1]Mohammed bin Rashid: The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is a significant scientific mission
prepare the ground for possible future resource extraction from asteroids
- [2]Mohammed bin Rashid: The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is a significant scientific mission
assess the resource potential of asteroids and prepare the way for future asteroid resource utilisation
- [3]Mohammed bin Rashid: The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is a significant scientific mission
the UAE Space Agency today announced the details and objectives of the EMA
The MBR Explorer mission is progressing, with assembly, integration and testing under way ahead of its 2028 launch.
The probe is scheduled to be integrated with the MBR Explorer at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, ahead of the mission’s planned launch from Japan in the first quarter of 2028.
culminating its journey at 269 Justitia, where it will separate from the spacecraft during the mission's final phase and descend autonomously to the asteroid's surface
reaching the 269 Justitia asteroid in 2036
- [8]Mohammed bin Rashid: The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is a significant scientific mission
The MBR Explorer’s 5-billion-kilometre journey includes gravity-assist manoeuvres around Venus, Earth and Mars to change the spacecraft’s velocity and support its flyby campaign, with its first asteroid encounter taking place in February 2030. Subsequent flybys will occur through to 2034, when the mission’s seventh asteroid encounter will involve a rendezvous and landing. The spacecraft will release a lander, which will beam science data up from the asteroid surface.
The mission will travel five billion kilometres over eight years, conducting fly-bys of six asteroids before reaching 269 Justitia in 2036.
The deployable probe will descend onto Justitia on a ballistic trajectory, striking the asteroid at up to 27 metres per second, potentially excavating a crater.
- [11]Mohammed bin Rashid: The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is a significant scientific mission
It also announced a three-week launch period for the mission starting in March 2028.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Supreme Space Council, attended the signing of an agreement between the UAE Space Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to provide services for the launch of the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Explorer' spacecraft aboard the H3 rocket in 2028.
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) / MBR Explorer”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/missions/uae-space-agency-emirates-mission-asteroid-belt.html. Record checked 2026-10-28.