Etihad Cargo completes probe shipment to US ready for UAE space mission

Through the air and destined for space, Etihad Cargo has completed the shipment of a probe developed for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) that has now arrived in the United States.

The probe was transported from Abu Dhabi to Colorado with the support of Etihad Cargo, the cargo arm of Etihad Airways.

The shipment follows the successful completion of the probe’s design, development, assembly and testing in the UAE. Its arrival in the United States marks an the next step in the mission’s preparations, as the probe is now ready for final integration with the MBR Explorer spacecraft, ahead of the mission’s planned launch from Japan in the first quarter of 2028.

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), through its Propulsion and Space Research Centres probe will image two planets and seven asteroids, flying past six asteroids in the main belt before culminating in a rendezvous with and landing on the seventh, 269 Justitia. If successful, the landing will make Justitia only the seventh asteroid in history to be reached on the surface by the probe.

This story was originally published by Air Cargo Week. Read the full story at Air Cargo Week →