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

UAE's spacecraft for the mission will take seven years to build and will allow it to land on one asteroid 560 million kilometres away from the Earth in 2033.

FP Trending|Oct 06, 2021, 17:11:40 IST

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.[caption id="attachment_8932731" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

This mission will be seen as an ambitious target by the UAE as it founded its space agency a few years ago, in 2014.[/caption]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.

Careless Whispers: Scientists discover that plants can 'talk' to each other using smells

Japanese scientists have recorded a video that shows plants, in certain conditions, communicate with each other using mists that carry smells. The discovery, reveals that plants release a fine mist of airborne compounds, to warn nearby plants of potential dangers

Life on Mars? European Space Agency’s Orbiter discovers ice water deposits at equator

European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter has identified massive ice and ice water deposits beneath the surface of Mars. The Mars Express orbiter was also the first to confirmed the presence of ice on Mars in 2004

Microsoft briefly overtakes Apple as the most valuable company, Apple back on top again

At its peak during the session, Microsoft's value reached $2.903 trillion, with a 2% surge. As of writing this article, Apple closed at $2.89 trillion, whereas Microsoft closed at $2.86 trillion

Even NASA is facing a tough time, starts layoffs following major budget cuts

NASA is facing some massive budget cuts, because of which, it has been forced to postpone some upcoming missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been hit hard by recent federal budget cuts, resulting in the layoff of 100 contractors last week

ISRO, NASA's NISAR satellite to get ready by Jan-end, will monitor Earth's snow-covered regions

The NISAR satellite which has been developed jointly ISRO and NASA, should be ready for launch by the end of January 2024. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO on NISAR is the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission

Up Next