The UAE Space Agency has introduced the “Space Means Business” campaign. The campaign aims to showcase the business prospects available to both local and international companies in the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA).
EMA is a pioneering mission involving multiple asteroid visits and landings within the main belt.
This initiative arises from the agency’s pledge to allocate a minimum of 50 percent of the mission’s overall contracts to private sector enterprises.
In line with this commitment, the UAE Space Agency will be hosting a workshop on June 22nd at their facility to delineate the various areas in which private companies can participate in the mission.
Exploring the Asteroid Belt: EMA’s Pioneering Mission and Economic Prospects
Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency said, “Through our work with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, we can identify several technologically advanced companies operating in the Emirates today who can make commercially viable contributions to the EMA and benefit from the wider UAE space sector opportunity. Our core goal here is to drive new business opportunities based around sustainable innovation and the development of heritage that will open up new opportunities in the US$1 trillion global space industry.”
“We are committed to a private sector first approach to developing the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt,” commented EMA Programme Director Mohsen Al Awadhi. This campaign to recruit businesses to the Mission forms part of a long-term commitment to diving into an ambitious, vibrant and fast-growing private space sector in the Emirates. The opportunities are truly endless, from software and hardware systems design and delivery through to subsystem assembly, solar power and other electrical systems development to Mission operations and management.”
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) is expected to generate significant economic opportunities, such as the establishment of new start-ups, the fostering of international partnerships, and the attraction of foreign investment in the UAE’s space sector.
Space Means Business Workshop: Mapping Commercial Prospects in EMA
The “Space Means Business” campaign aims to engage academia, potential start-ups, existing global space industry players, and companies capable of adapting their research and operations to meet the demands of the space sector.
The campaign’s initial step is the Space Means Business workshop, which marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to help UAE-based businesses identify immediate commercial prospects associated with the EMA.
The workshop will also outline a roadmap for continuous support and development of research, innovation, and valuable heritage within the rapidly expanding global space market.
The UAE National Space Strategy supports start-ups and investments by providing spacecraft assembly integration and test (AIT) facilities and mission operations as services.
Emirati space start-ups receive support in business formation, access to office and back-office facilities, mentoring, and funding through the Space Economic Zones initiative.
Unveiling the EMA Mission: Enhancing Scientific Knowledge and Resource Exploration
The UAE Space Agency leads the Space Academy, an apprenticeship program that supports the development of the EMA.
The program aims to enhance engineering, technical, and innovation expertise across various national institutions involved in the UAE’s space sector.
The EMA, spanning thirteen years, includes a six-year spacecraft development phase and a seven-year flight to the main asteroid belt.
It involves close flybys of seven main-belt asteroids, with a particular focus on the spectrally red asteroid, (269) Justitia.
The mission leverages the knowledge, capabilities, innovations, and heritage of the EMA to expedite the growth of the UAE’s private space sector and advance technological innovation.
To recognize the instrumental role played by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, in establishing and expanding the UAE Space Program, the mission names the spacecraft the MBR Explorer.
The MBR Explorer will undertake a five-billion-kilometre journey, utilizing gravity-assist manoeuvres around Venus, Earth, and Mars to adjust its velocity and support the flyby campaign. We expect to encounter the first asteroid in February 2030.
Throughout the mission, the spacecraft will conduct subsequent flybys until 2034 when the seventh asteroid encounter will involve a rendezvous and landing. An Emirati private space sector start-up will deploy a lander to gather scientific data from the surface of the asteroid.
The EMA aims to enhance our understanding of asteroid characteristics, origins, formation, and evolution. It also aims to investigate the potential of water-rich asteroids as a valuable resource and evaluate the presence of volatile and organic compounds in the asteroid belt, which are fundamental building blocks for life on Earth.
