Testing for the Journey to the Asteroid Belt

In November 2025, Acoustic Research Systems (ARS) conducted an acoustic modal test at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) facility at the University of Colorado Boulder. This work followed the launch of the Acoustic Modal Method, developed in partnership with ATA Engineering, and supported work connected to the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, one of the UAE’s most ambitious deep-space exploration programs. Building on this effort, ARS is now supporting preparations toward a milestone qualification test currently planned for the first quarter of 2027.

The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, also known as EMA, is funded and led by the UAE Space Agency and centers on the MBR Explorer spacecraft. The mission is designed to study multiple asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, with a particular focus on primitive, water-rich asteroids and what they may reveal about the early solar system.

The MBR Explorer is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2028 aboard Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H3 launch vehicle. The mission will travel approximately five billion kilometers, using gravity-assist maneuvers from Venus, Earth, and Mars to reach the asteroid belt. Once there, the spacecraft is expected to conduct flybys of six asteroids before reaching its seventh target, Justitia, where it will deploy a probe.

As of April 2026, the mission is progressing through assembly, integration, and testing ahead of launch. The UAE Space Agency completed the mission’s Critical Design Review in February 2025, a major milestone intended to confirm readiness to move into the next phase of Assembly, Integration, and Test.

The scientific significance of EMA lies in what asteroids can preserve. Asteroids are remnants from the early formation of the solar system and studying them may help scientists better understand planetary formation, the origins and evolution of water-rich bodies, and the potential role of asteroid resources in future space exploration.

For ARS, the CU-LASP test reflects the growing role of acoustic-driven modal testing in complex spacecraft development environments. Acoustic modal testing allows teams to use acoustic energy to excite a structure and extract modal information without the need for direct mechanical contact. This can be especially valuable when teams need to characterize spacecraft hardware while reducing added interfaces, handling complexity, and configuration changes while also helping to minimize additional test hardware, reduce setup time, and avoid the cost and schedule impacts associated with more traditional modal approaches.

The test campaign at CU-LASP showed how acoustic modal methods can support mission-readiness activities for advanced space programs, including missions with long timelines, complex spacecraft architectures, and demanding launch environments.

As the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt moves toward launch, ground-based testing plays a critical role in validating spacecraft behavior ahead of a complex, multi-year flight. For a mission designed to explore multiple asteroids and deploy a lander, this level of insight is fundamental to its success.

Funding for the co-development of the Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt is provided by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency to its knowledge partner, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.