Codename Max: The Untold Tale of UAE’s Mission To the Main Asteroid Belt
Codename Max: The Untold Tale of UAE’s Mission To the Main Asteroid Belt:
The UAE’s mission to Mars gained global attention, but there was also a more intricate Emirati mission in progress, known as Max.
The UAE Space Agency began generating concepts to push the boundaries of its engineers and private space industry and expand the country’s aspirations beyond the Red Planet roughly a year before the launch of the Hope probe in 2020.
Future Prospects And Objectives Of The UAE Space Agency Program
In 2019, the agency developed a plan for a mission to the main asteroid belt after considering several options.
An Emirati spacecraft will embark on a journey of 5 billion km to study multiple asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. This distance is seven times greater than the distance travelled by the Hope probe to reach Mars in February 2021.
According to an exclusive statement made to The National on Wednesday, Sarah Al Amiri, the Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, as well as the chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, revealed that the concept of what to do after the Emirates Mars Mission was already in the works one to two years before the launch of the Hope probe.
According to her statement, they have contemplated integrating the skills acquired from the Emirates Mars Mission into a different mission. She explained that the aim was to expand the next mission into a more extensive and inclusive program that would enhance knowledge sharing to a greater degree.
According to her, the agency considered a subsequent expedition to the Moon’s surface. However, opting for a voyage to the asteroid belt would raise the stakes and enable them to develop a significantly more sophisticated spacecraft while also exploring fascinating scientific discoveries.
The agency planned the project for almost four years, keeping it secret and referring to it as “Max” for short.
The organization disclosed some information about the mission to the public in 2021. However, the team needed to name the mission at that time and create a definite plan for the science or spacecraft design.
The EMA, which stands for Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, became public on Sunday.
In 2028, a spacecraft named after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, who is the V.P. and Ruler of Dubai, called the MBR Explorer, will be a part of this mission.
They will take 13 years in total to complete the mission. They intend to spend the first six years developing the spacecraft and then the remaining seven years flying through the belt.
The MBR Explorer plans to fly past six asteroids before attempting to land on the seventh one. During its journey to the asteroid belt, it will also fly by Venus, Earth, and Mars.
After successfully arriving on Mars, Ms. Al Amiri discussed future plans with the government. She was thankful for receiving approval and funding to continue with the program.
The agency aims to have more than half of the spacecraft created by private companies located in the UAE. The Boulder-based Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Science (LASP), which played a role in the development of the Hope probe, will collaborate with these companies.
The country launched a National Space Fund worth Dh3 billion to support the growth of the private space industry.
According to Ms. Al Amiri, they are using exploration missions to speed up and improve their program capability development. Moreover, they are using tools such as Sirb to tap into the potential of the UAE industry and generate economic benefits.
Takeaways
The UAE’s space exploration ambitions made a significant leap with their mission to the main asteroid belt, which is codenamed “Max.” The UAE Space Agency is showing its dedication to advancing engineering and scientific research through this complex project, which builds on the achievements of the Emirates Mars Mission.
Last Updated on 9 months by News Editor
