UAE plans new space mission to explore Venus on its way to observe seven asteroids in 2028

After becoming the first Arab country to reach Mars, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency has announced that it will explore the planet Venus by the end of this decade, aiming to ultimately land on an asteroid.

In order to give wings to their dream, UAE will build a spacecraft for the mission which will take seven years to build and will tentatively launch by 2028. The UAE hopes the spacecraft will land on an asteroid in 2033.

Using gravity assist manoeuvres, the spacecraft would first orbit Venus, then Earth, followed by observing seven main-belt asteroids, before landing on an asteroid 560 million kilometres from the Earth in 2033.

This mission is seen as an ambitious target by the UAE as it founded its space agency a few years ago, in 2014. If this mission stands successful, the UAE Space Agency would join NASA, Japan’s space agency JAXA and the European Space Agency (ESA) in landing a vehicle on a planetoid.

This mission by the United Arab Emirates will be developed in accordance with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. It aims to embark on a 3.6 billion kilometre journey, one that is seven times longer than that of the UAE’s Hope probe that reached Mars in February 2021.

The oil-rich country is known for its grand pursuits with home to the world’s tallest buildings, large shopping malls, and pools. This project by the UAE focuses on boosting its domestic space sector as the country will give priority access to contracts and procurement to Emirati companies.

The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that UAE has set its eyes on the stars and its journey to development and progress is limitless with no boundaries. The UAE plans to make new advancements in space and create opportunities for people on Earth, said the ruler.