Emirates Mars + Asteroid Programme
The UAE's Emirates Mars Mission (EMM, 'Hope' probe / Al-Amal) made the United Arab Emirates the first Arab nation to reach Mars when it entered orbit on February 9, 2021 — at a total programme cost reported in the region of $200M [1][2]. The follow-on Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) — announced in October 2021 — is a far more ambitious 7-year, 5-billion-kilometre cruise to seven main-belt asteroids culminating in a 2034 rendezvous and landing on (269) Justitia, targeting a late-2028 launch on a commercial U.S. launcher [3][4]. Both missions are executed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in collaboration with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, anchoring an Emirati deep-space industrial and knowledge-transfer capability [1][3].
Funding & Contract Structure
Total committed: Emirates Mars Mission (EMM / Hope) total programme cost publicly reported at approximately $200M [2]. Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) cost publicly reported in the region of $200M+ as of the 2021 announcement [7]. Cumulative UAE planetary exploration spend through end-2026 approximately $400-500M
Annual run-rate: UAE Space Agency consolidated budget not publicly broken out by mission line; sector-wide UAE space investment exceeded AED 22B (~$6B) cumulative as of the National Space Strategy 2030 published 2019 [10]
Per launch: EMM all-in cost approximately $200M including H-IIA launch services share — comparable to ISRO Mangalyaan ($74M) and an order of magnitude below NASA MAVEN ($582M) for Mars-orbit science missions [2]
Procurement vehicle: FIXED-PRICE — Contractor commits to a set price — bears overrun risk; aligns incentives on cost discipline.
Congressional status: UAE constitutional system has no parliamentary appropriation analogue; programme funding is approved through Federal Supreme Council / Cabinet decisions reported in WAM (state news agency) and is non-discretionary across electoral cycles [5]
GAO / CRS findings
| Date | Finding |
|---|---|
| UAE Space Agency / MBRSC joint press release confirms Mars Orbit Insertion success at 15:42 UTC on February 9, 2021 — first attempt success, first Arab nation at Mars, second nation in history to achieve Mars orbit on first attempt[1] | |
| MBRSC confirmed EMM extended mission operations through 2027 supporting continued global Mars-atmosphere monitoring; baseline mission operations completed September 2023[6] | |
| MBRSC confirmed EMA seven-asteroid mission architecture and (269) Justitia rendezvous + landing target; commercial U.S. launch vehicle selection announced 2024[4] |
Beneficiary Breakdown
| Contractor | Role | Share | Ticker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre | prime | Mission prime for both EMM and EMA; spacecraft engineering, AIT and mission operations from MBRSC headquarters in Dubai; state-owned entity, non-listed[1] | private |
| Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) | prime | Co-development partner for EMM and EMA spacecraft; LASP at the University of Colorado Boulder provides spacecraft engineering, payload integration and operations training under knowledge-transfer framework[11] | private |
| Arizona State University | sub | EMIRS (Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer) instrument science lead; long-standing Mars infrared spectroscopy expertise (Mars Odyssey THEMIS heritage)[6] | private |
| University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory | sub | EMUS (Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer) instrument science lead; UV space-physics specialist with heritage on MAVEN IUVS[6] | private |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | supplier | Launch services prime for EMM via H-IIA Flight 42 from Tanegashima Space Center (July 19, 2020)[2] | TYO: 7011 |
| UAE Space Agency (UAESA) | prime | Federal regulator and policy lead; oversees UAE National Space Strategy 2030 and Mars 2117 vision; bears policy and budget accountability for both EMM and EMA[5] | private |
Key Milestones
UAE Space Agency established by Cabinet decision; National Space Programme announced as a knowledge-transfer-centric sovereign capability
Mars 2117 vision announced — multi-generational ambition for human settlement on Mars; framework for sustained planetary science investments
EMM (Hope / Al-Amal) launches on Mitsubishi H-IIA Flight 42 from Tanegashima Space Center on July 19, 2020 at 21:58:14 UTC
UAE signs the Artemis Accords (October 13, 2020) — third national signatory after the United States
Hope probe Mars Orbit Insertion at 15:42 UTC on February 9, 2021 — UAE becomes first Arab nation at Mars and second nation in history to succeed at first attempt
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announces EMA — Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt — 7-year, 7-asteroid cruise with Justitia rendezvous
EMM baseline science mission complete; extended-mission operations confirmed through 2027
EMA mission architecture finalised — 7-flyby plus Justitia rendezvous; commercial U.S. launcher selected for March 2028 launch window
EMA — Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt target launch window on commercial U.S. heavy-lift launcher
EMA rendezvous and landing on (269) Justitia — first UAE landing on a celestial body and first Arab landing on an asteroid
Catalysts
| Date | Event | Sentiment |
|---|---|---|
| Hope probe extended mission — continued global Mars-atmosphere monitoring; coordinated observations with NASA MAVEN and ESA Mars Express[6] | neutral | |
| EMM nominal extended-mission end; further extension decision by MBRSC / UAESA expected ahead of EMA launch window[1] | neutral | |
| EMA launch — Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt target launch window on commercial U.S. heavy-lift launcher; first Venus gravity-assist within 12 months[3] | bullish | |
| EMA cruise — successive flybys of six main-belt asteroids leading to rendezvous and landing on (269) Justitia[4] | bullish | |
| EMA rendezvous and landing on (269) Justitia — first UAE landing on a celestial body and first Arab landing on an asteroid[4] | bullish |
Risk Register
Competitive Landscape
Investability Map
| Ticker | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | low | MBRSC and UAE Space Agency are sovereign / state-owned entities with no listed equity exposure. Indirect investability via U.S. partner LASP, ASU, UC Berkeley (research institutions, not listed) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (TYO: 7011, EMM launcher) is small in relation to consolidated business. |
| TYO: 7011 | low | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was the EMM launch provider — single-mission revenue is immaterial in the context of MHI's broader H-IIA / H3 launcher franchise. |
| AMZN | low | EMA's selected commercial U.S. launch vehicle is reported to be a Blue Origin New Glenn variant; Amazon-affiliated Blue Origin is privately held, so indirect investability is limited and AMZN proxy exposure is immaterial. |
Not investment advice. Figures as-quoted from cited sources.
Sources
- [1] Emirates Mars Mission — official mission website (Hope / Al-Amal at Mars orbit since February 9, 2021) (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [2] MBRSC — Emirates Mars Mission programme page (launch July 19, 2020; ~$200M total cost) (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [3] MBRSC — Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) programme page (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [4] UAE Space Agency — EMA mission architecture announcement (7-asteroid tour culminating in Justitia rendezvous and landing in 2034) (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [5] UAE Space Agency — corporate overview / national mandate (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [6] Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), CU Boulder — Emirates Mars Mission partnership and EMIRS / EMUS instrument science (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [7] SpaceNews — Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt cost and architecture (GAO / CRS report, accessed )
- [8] NASA — Gateway Airlock procurement framework with UAE (2023 NASA-UAESA implementing arrangement) (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [9] NASA — Artemis Accords signatories list (UAE signed October 13, 2020) (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [10] UAE Space Agency — National Space Strategy 2030 and Mars 2117 framework (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [11] Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU Boulder — institutional overview (Agency budget doc, accessed )
- [12] Reuters — UAE Hope probe enters Mars orbit on first attempt; second nation in history (GAO / CRS report, accessed )
- [13] SpaceNews — UAE selects commercial U.S. launcher for Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (GAO / CRS report, accessed )
- [14] Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — H-IIA commercial launch services (Flight 42 Hope launch) (Official company site, accessed )
- [15] Arizona State University — EMIRS instrument science page (Agency budget doc, accessed )