UAE: Indian PM, Israeli president to participate in Abu Dhabi space debate – News

The December 5-6 event will host senior officials and experts from the aerospace industry, as well as leaders in avionics and defense technology

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Space Debate. The December 5-6 event will host senior officials and experts from the aerospace industry.

Narendra Modi will deliver a video address to a gathering of global space agencies, government representatives and private sector leaders in space, avionics and defense technology.

The event was organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The UAE Space Agency hosted the meeting with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Defence. It will help shape global cooperation in human space exploration.

Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chair of the UAE Space Agency, said: “The Abu Dhabi Space Debate aims to create a diverse and inclusive discourse that will advance international cooperation, standards and policy-making in the global space sector. At a time when the world is facing unprecedented challenges, the platform plays a vital role in building consensus, cooperation and development in this important area.

“Representing the world’s emerging space nations as well as traditional players has always been an important goal of our debates. To this end, we are delighted to join representatives of the Romanian, Rwanda, Norway, Philippine and Portuguese space agencies, as well as global private sector pioneers .

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Some of the most exciting developments in the field are now coming from these young players who are driving the global demand for access to space. “

Speakers at the debate included strategists such as Dr. George Friedman, founder of Geopolitical Futures; Dr. Robin Geiss, Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research; and William Alberk, Director of Strategy, Technology and Arms Control at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

They will be joined by some 250 space agency and space sector leaders representing more than 30 countries including Saudi Arabia, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, South Korea, France and Japan.

Private sector companies including Airbus, Northrop Grumman, Thales and Amazon, as well as lawmakers, academics and researchers whose work defines the future of space, will participate in the event. The debate aims to spark open, full and frank exchanges and seek solutions and concrete progress for the industry.

The gathering will discuss issues ranging from the geopolitical implications of space exploration to regulation and the respective roles that the public and private sectors will play in the future; the stability and safety of space assets, given the political upheaval rocking the industry; and the development of national Science and Technology Program.

The rise of megaconstellations, the weaponization of space assets, sustainability, and the role of space systems in defense and intelligence gathering all form part of an integrated platform that holds the keys to the future of the global space sector.