The United Arab Emirates ’ ( UAE ) outer space program may still be in its infancy , but the petroleum - rich country has bad plans to outdo itsinaugural Mars missionary station . For its coming missionary work to the main asteroid belt , the Arab nation has unwrap the names of the seven blank rocks to dish up as its target .
In a latterly revealedposterthat will be present at the Asteroids , Comets , Meteors Conference from June 18 to 23 in Arizona , the UAE Space Agency announce that its coming spacecraft will flee by six asteroids and endeavour to land on a seventh . The blank agency is work with the University of Colorado ’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics ( LASP ) on its asteroid missionary work , and also with private U.S. company Advanced Space . Readers might be familiar withNASA ’s copestone mission to the Moon , with Advanced Space providing the space vehicle .
The Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt was first announced in 2021 , and is schedule to launch in 2028 . Its target asteroid are 10253 Westerwald , 623 Chimaera , 13294 Rockox , 88055 , 23871 , 59980 with a landing attempt on269 Justitia .
An illustration of an asteroid belt littered with space rocks.Illustration: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The asteroids all orbit the Sun in the main asteroid smash , which is nestled approximately between the ambit of Mars and Jupiter and contains billion of physical object . In Holy Order to reach the asteroid belt , the Emirati spacecraft will conduct gravity - help flybys of Venus , Earth , and Mars . The spacecraft will use a solar electric propulsion system for six high - speed flybys before set about to put down on 269 Justitia .
Named after the papistic goddess of judge , Justitia is one of the gravid rocks in the primary asteroid belt that was discovered in 1887 . The asteroid is unusually crimson , a signaling that it may contain organic stuff on its surface . asteroid closer to the Sun tend to not contain organic compounds , leading some scientist to believe that 269 Justitia may be a trans - Neptunian object , meaning it uprise in the outer solar system beyond Neptune , and was later dragged inwards towards the Sun billion of year ago , according to recentresearch .
The primary objectives of the UAE missionary post let in understanding the beginning of water - full-bodied asteroids , valuate the potential of find resources in asteroids , as well as developing blank space industry base in the UAE , accord to the theme .
The disconnection country seems to be getting the bent of this place business . In July 2020 , the UAE launch the Hope military mission to Mars , and the small probe has been deliveringexciting data on the Red Planet and its moonsfor the retiring two years . The Emirati space venture differentiate the first interplanetary mission by an Arab country , signal a newfangled era for the UAE to start empower in its space ambitions .
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