UAE works to land spaceship in an asteroid belt beyond Mars
The vehicle deployed aboard the MBR Explorer is expected to land on the seventh asteroid, Justitia, to study its surface and composition in closer detail

Launch of the "Hope" Mars probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai in 2020 (Getty Images)
The UAE is planning to build a landing vehicle as part of a 13-year space mission to explore asteroids beyond Mars.
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt will involve a series of flybys of seven asteroids, with the spaceship deployed aboard the MBR Explorer expected to land on the seventh asteroid, Justitia, to study its surface and composition in closer detail.
The project, which aims to advance the UAE’s ambition to become a global leader in space innovation, will involve collaboration between government bodies, private sector entities, and local startups.
The project signing on Jan. 9 was witnessed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai’s Crown Prince and Chairman of the UAE’s Supreme Space Council.