Emirati engineers will begin building the UAE’s first asteroid-exploring spacecraft after the mission’s design received final approval on Wednesday.
The UAE Space Agency announced that the critical design review for the mission has been completed successfully, allowing the project to progress into the manufacturing, assembly and testing phase.
Engineers will develop MBR Explorer, a 2,300kg spacecraft, that will be launched in 2028 on board a Japanese rocket to explore six asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter and attempt a landing on a seventh.
“Over the past three days, the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt team, with space sector experts, conducted the Critical Design Review,” the UAE Space Agency said in a statement issued on Thursday.
“It covered spacecraft design, system evaluations, manufacturing plans and performance analysis. The review focused on testing strategies, risk management and maintaining alignment with the project timeline as the mission advances towards manufacturing.”
The mission involves a five billion km journey, including a Venus and Mars fly-by that will enable it reach the main asteroid belt using assistance from the planets' gravity.
It is expected to provide key insights into the early solar system by studying the composition and history of asteroids.
The mission marks the UAE’s next major step in deep space exploration, building on the success of its historic Mars mission in which the Hope probe entered the planet’s orbit in 2021, helping the country to become only the fifth nation to reach the Red Planet.
The UAE Space Agency is working with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (Lasp) at the University of Colorado Boulder again for this mission, as it did previously for its mission to Mars.
The Arizona State University is also working with the Emirati engineers and the Italian Space Agency will contribute instruments on the craft.
About 40 engineers from the UAE are temporarily based in Colorado to work on the mission, including from the UAE Space Agency, academic institutions and private companies.
Apart from developing skills in the domestic workforce, another focus for the space agency on this mission is private sector involvement.
The Technology Innovation Institute was selected by the agency to develop and execute the lander, which will be deployed by the MBR Explorer spacecraft when it approaches its seventh asteroid, called Justitia, so it can attempt a landing in 2035.
Scientists are particularly interested in Justitia because of its mysterious appearance. While most asteroids are bluish, this one has a reddish colour, with possible origins from our solar system.
The six other celestial bodies that the UAE spacecraft will explore are 10253 Westerwald, 623 Chimaera, 13294 Rockox, 88055, 23871 and 59980.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
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Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
Stage 3 results
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 4:42:33
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:56
General Classification after Stage 3:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02
2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb) 0:02:06
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
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