UAE looks up at the stars

26 July, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre Announce Sultan Al Neyadi will be first arab astronaut Take part in a six-month mission to the International Space Station.The plan was originally April A collaboration between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center and Axiom Space Inc., a leading human spaceflight and infrastructure company. The mission is one of a growing number of UAE initiatives in the space sector. The United Arab Emirates is turning to its space program to position itself as a hub for advanced technology, while also diversifying its economy away from oil and rekindling space culture among young Emiratis.

A big step

Despite the recent increased focus on the UAE space sector, substantial progress in the industry has been in the works for some time.United Arab Emirates space agency Established in July 2014. Oil prices plummeted in mid-2014The Emirates Space Agency’s mission is to develop, organise and guide the UAE’s growing space sector, while supporting sustainable development and enhancing the country’s position as a global aerospace player.

To support this strategy, the UAE has invested in $5.4 billion In January 2015, he received his Ph.D. in Space Technology. In April 2017, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Maktoum, then Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of Abu Dhabi, Hayan UAE Armed Forces launched national space program. Under the scheme, its main purpose is to prepare and train Emiratis to specialize in space science.Its initiatives include 2117 Mars Projectwhich aims to establish the first human settlement on Mars, the Arab Space Exploration Program, and plans to launch an Emirati satellite manufacturing complex.

The UAE aims to strengthen its partnership with the world’s top space agencies. On 4 October 2018, the UAE Space Agency signed the Implementation arrangements Collaboration with NASA in space exploration and human spaceflight. The agreement strengthens the bilateral relationship between the UAE Space Agency and NASA, creating opportunities for cooperation in space research, exploration and development. On October 30, 2018, the UAE Space Agency launched the KhalifaSat Earth Observation Imaging Satellite from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre, located on an island off the southern tip of Japan.According to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the Khalifa satellite is first satellite Completely designed, built and tested by UAE scientists and engineers.

At the end of 2019, the UAE, which had no astronauts a few years ago, sent its first astronaut, Haza Mansouri, to the International Space Station. Mansouri spent a short time in orbit conducting a series of experiments and a trip to the space station in Arabic.exist October 2020UAE signed Artemis Protocol – An agreement between NASA and several partner nations establishing a set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s lunar exploration program. By signing these agreements, the UAE is committing to not only develop a national space agency, but to do so with the international space community, thereby providing new opportunities for cooperation. April 2021, Nora MatrosiIn April 2021, the first Arab female astronaut was selected from the UAE astronaut program to train with NASA for two years.

In February 2021, the UAE explored deep space for the first time, launching the Hope spacecraft, into Mars orbit, making the UAE the fifth country to do so.The Hope spacecraft is Co-establishment In collaboration with the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. UAE partners with US companies to develop key components and technology for the Hope Probe. Cooperation Trade between the U.S. and the UAE continued into the following year under the auspices of the U.S.-UAE Business Council, which determined potential growth Bilateral relations, especially in the space domain.

The UAE has also entered into a partnership with Israel since the signing of the Abraham Accords.UAE and Israel sign the agreement In October 2021, cooperate to complete the Beresheet 2 lunar mission. As part of the agreement, the two countries will collaborate on data development and research on the Israeli-French satellite Venus, while Emirati and Israeli students will work together on a new moon-tracking satellite.

In addition to building satellites and spacecraft, the UAE has also demonstrated its support for global space technology innovation. In October 2021, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre launched Space Ventures Initiative, a space sector ecosystem for startups from all over the world. It is designed to enable businesses to collaborate on long-term projects, access technology and support, and get help in communicating with international regulators to foster sustainable long-term growth. In addition to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre initiative, Hub 71Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem selects several space tech companies 16 startups in its 2021 cohort. Hub71 will connect selected space technology companies with programs designed to support their growth and development. These two projects, and their focus on private sector start-ups, are part of the UAE’s broader strategy to encourage businesses to contribute to space technology to support the space economy.

In July, the UAE established a $817 million fund Support its space sector, including initiatives to develop radar satellites.United Arab Emirates Announce Plans to be the first Arab country to develop a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites. The satellites will be built through partnerships between the public and private sectors and international companies.The fund also aims to support the establishment of national companies in the space sector and to advance national strategies and research projects, while also Seeking to encourage global partnerships Get a foothold in the UAE and offer incentives to partners through the UAE Space Agency’s Space Economic Zone programme.

space culture

While encouraging global partnerships and investment, the UAE is also trying to rekindle cultural interest in outer space.Although astronomy itself is deep Rooted in Arabic Culturea more ““modern” space culture Develop among young Emiratis. As the UAE develops its space sector, more and more Emiratis are pursuing astrophotography as well as space-related arts and education. E.g, Syed AmadeiA member of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre’s communications team, rose to internet fame as the artist who created Suhail, a stuffed cartoon character that flew into space with Mansoori in 2019. Engagement has also increased. Astronomical Society and stargazing And – a leisure activity that has disappeared from mainstream culture.

Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre launched in September 2021 Emirates Aerospace Art Programme Partnership with private social enterprise Jsoor. The programme aims to document the UAE’s milestones in space through art. In February, Selenian, a UAE-based company specializing in the curation of space art, Announce With the help of NASA, Spacebit and Astrobotic, it will bring an original piece of art to the moon.The artwork itself, “We Rise Together, Under the Moonlight”, by Sasha Jaffrey, a Dubai-based artist, and intends to stay on the moon. While the UAE’s space culture is nowhere near as mature as that of the US and Russia, which developed with the first space explorations in the 1960s, it has grown in popularity over the past decade.

Although there are skeptic Who has questioned whether the space program can produce a generation of Emirati space engineers and aerospace personnel, the growing culture of space has spread to academia and encouraged students to pursue education in aerospace, so it has grown in size and funding. Universities and institutes have since been creating new courses to help students understand and build careers in the aerospace industry.In addition, the UAE Space Agency has launched UAE Mini Satellite Challenge – A competition for college students to submit proposals for design experiments that can solve real-world space exploration problems. The competition aims to foster critical thinking, creativity and collaboration among Emirati youth to advance engineering research and development, while stimulating students’ interest in space engineering.

Gulf states reach for the stars

Following the successful launch of the Hope spacecraft into Mars orbit, the UAE also plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024.It has also been suggested to branch to the moon space tourism, Explore Venus By 2028, land on an asteroid, making it a fourth country Do so if successful. These plans are the UAE”50 items. “

Although think most ambitious space program In the Middle East, the UAE is not the only country in the region with a space program.Bahrain launched first satellite into orbit in February, and Oman Plan to do the same by the end of the year.Qatar launched in 2010 Exoplanet Survey – A research project led by the Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Foundation and Hamad bin Khalifa University to search for planets outside the solar system.Saudi Arabia recently announced that its 10-year space plan.

Although still relatively new to space, UAE leaders hope the aerospace industry may be another way they can position the country as a hub for advanced technology, while also diversifying the economy away from oil. Despite impressive progress, these remain ambitious goals for now. In addition to the desire to create this new technology hub and enhance the country’s long-term economic diversification, there is also a desire to enhance the country’s global standing, diplomatically and culturally.