UAE: Space talks must be removed from geopolitical discussions, says minister – News

The country’s approach to space has been driven by an overall science and technology agenda

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The UAE’s space sector has evolved from a transformational driver within the tech ecosystem to a new sector in its economy, a minister said on Monday.

“That’s why we’re shifting our programs and projects today from capacity and capacity development aimed at enriching our tech ecosystem to developing the private sector,” said Sarah Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technologies and Chair of the Council ( Sarah Al Amiri, the UAE Space Agency, told attendees at the Abu Dhabi Space Debate.

“The space debate is a natural progression because as we move into private and commercial space, we want to do so as active players on the global stage,” she said.

Speaking at a ministerial panel discussion on space themes in the National Science and Technology Plan, Al Amiri said the UAE’s approach to space has been driven by an overall science and technology agenda.

“It starts with recognizing the value of technology and making sure it’s integrated into your economic development,” she said, adding that this meant the entire scientific establishment needed to support social transformation and technological progress.

She stressed that it was important to remove space from the agenda of diplomatic and geopolitical discussions in favor of multilateral dialogue.

“The responsibility rests upon us as the custodians of the space sector in each of our countries, that space should be removed from any other discussions that are going on between nations. Once it becomes a reality, you can have space discussions about the growth interests of the field, This is critical for all,” she said.

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Poland’s role in the global aerospace sector

Referring to Poland’s progress in this field, Polish Secretary of State Dr. Tomasz Rzymkowski said that space science has been at the heart of Polish science since the time of Copernicus. “We are involved in many bilateral projects, such as the European Space Agency, and our graduates are sought after by space agencies around the world, with many working at NASA. We are proud of what we have achieved in the field,” He says.

He added that almost all missions organized by major space players in the industry, such as Japan’s space agency or NASA, rely on some components and solutions produced, co-produced or designed by Polish scientists.

Another country that has made great strides in this area is Turkey, as explained by HE Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology. “Over the past 20 years, we have invested heavily in building an innovation ecosystem in the country,” he said, citing the construction of more than 90 technology parks in more than 50 different cities in the country, for example.

“There are more than 8,000 companies doing R&D with our government support. Most of them are on university campuses, so we are also increasing collaboration between academia and industry,” he said.

Stressing the importance of self-sufficiency as a country, he said the Turkish space program planned a moon mission aimed at testing a domestically designed hybrid rocket propulsion system.

“This is important because if we succeed in this, the world will have an innovative, cheaper and environmentally friendly solution to space and we will be able to commercialize the technology. Success is based on self-sufficiency and international cooperation,” he said .