Mitsubishi Heavy Industries signs a contract to launch the UAE asteroid probe with an H3 rocket, scheduled for 2028, sorae space portal website

The United Arab Emirates Space Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited have announced the signing of a contract to launch UAESA's asteroid explorer, MBR Explorer. The MBR Explorer is scheduled to be launched in 2028 on the Japanese H3 rocket.

What is MBR Explorer?

MBR Explorer is an unmanned spacecraft of the United Arab Emirates on the asteroid exploration mission “Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA)”. The probe will target seven asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and after conducting flight observations on six of them, the probe plans to land on the last asteroid it will visit, 269 Justitia.

The mission's scientific objectives are to understand the origin and evolution of water-rich asteroids, evaluate their potential as resources, and pave the way for future resource use. The journey to the asteroid belt will take 13 years and 7 years.

According to UAESA, 50% of the design of the UAE's first Mars rover, HOPE, was used in the design of the MBR Explorer. Incidentally, HOPE was launched by the Japanese rocket “H-IIA” on July 20, 2020.

According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the company signed a launch contract with the UAE National Mission for the Earth observation satellite “KhalifaSat”, which was launched in October 2018 with the greenhouse gas monitoring technology satellite 2 “Ibuki 2”. “This is the third time after the HOPE initiative launched in July 2020.

Related articles
・Successful launch of the greenhouse gas monitoring technology satellite “IBUKI 2” (October 29, 2018)
・Launching of the H-IIA missile No. 42. Preparing the Emirati Mars probe “Hope” (July 20, 2020)

The launch period for MBR Explorer is three weeks in March 2028, and the first observation of the asteroid is scheduled to take place in February 2030. We look forward to the launch of MBR Explorer three and a half years from now, the UAE space exploration mission that chose a Japanese rocket following HOPE!

Related images

source

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – The United Arab Emirates is once again collaborating with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the upcoming national mission of the United Arab Emirates that was approved at the launch
  
• United Arab Emirates – UAE mission to the asteroid belt
• UAESA X Account

Text / Saki Sorano Editing / sorae editorial department

#H3 missile #Mitsubishi Heavy Industries #UAE