UAE's Asteroid Mission Reaches Key Milestone With Successful Critical Design Review

The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) reached an important milestone by completing the Critical Design Review (CDR) from Feb. 24 to 26, this year.

A team of Emirati and international experts contributed to this achievement, allowing the mission to move forward to the next stage. This phase will involve the assembly, integration, and testing of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Explorer.

"We are truly proud of this achievement. Completing this phase of EMA successfully embodies the UAE's vision of turning ambitions into realities," UAE Space Agency's Director-General Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi was quoted as saying by WAM.

Al Qubaisi said that the mission is a major step in scientific innovation and strengthens the UAE's role in deep space exploration. He highlighted its potential to create new opportunities in technology, education, and the economy for future generations.

He also stressed the importance of developing expertise in scientific and technical fields within the space sector. The CDR is a detailed evaluation of the mission, covering all aspects of the spacecraft's design and subsystems.

It includes engineering drawings, manufacturing plans, assembly, integration, and testing procedures. The review also assesses the performance of the mission to ensure it meets its strategic goals.

The CDR ensures that all spacecraft components can function in harsh space conditions. It also identifies risks and develops strategies to manage them while keeping the mission on schedule.

Mohsen Al Awadhi, EMA Mission Director, emphasized that the mission aims to develop expertise and increase private sector involvement. He described EMA as a step toward innovation, scientific excellence, and leadership in deep space exploration.

He stressed that the CDR is essential for mission success, as it verifies system readiness, scientific objectives, team coordination, risk management, and compliance with global standards. The review delivered positive results, showing significant progress by the UAE's national team and strengthening preparations for launch.

The EMA is a 13-year project, with six years dedicated to spacecraft design and development and seven years for exploring the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) Explorer will study water-rich asteroids, assessing their origins and potential as future space resources.

The mission will analyze asteroid surface composition, geology, and internal density while also studying temperature variations to understand their evolution.

EMA is working with academic and technology partners, including Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, and the Technology Innovation Institute, alongside international institutions like the Italian Space Agency, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. It also involves local and global private sector partners.