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MANILA: Cooperation with the United Arab Emirates will help the Philippines build a stronger foundation for its domestic space ecosystem, a senior Philippine Space Agency official said, following a recent agreement between the two countries to promote joint space research and industry building.
PhilSA signed a memorandum of cooperation with the UAE Space Agency on 5 December during the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, which brought together representatives from 47 international agencies and agencies in the UAE capital to discuss space sustainability, accessibility and safety .
PhilSA Director General Dr Joel Joseph Marciano said earlier in a statement to Arab News: “The MOU between PhilSA and UAESA for Space Cooperation facilitates joint space R&D, capacity building, people-to-people exchanges and space Industrial Construction” this week.
“When we bring people together for these collaborative efforts, we can build a stronger foundation for our domestic space ecosystem.”
The UAE “has been at the forefront of really groundbreaking and ambitious space missions,” Marciano said, as the Gulf state launched its first Arab-made lunar spacecraft over the weekend.
The Rashid rover, designed by the UAE team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, was launched from Space Force Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA to analyze plasma and moondust on the lunar surface.
In 2020, the UAE successfully launched the Mars Hope rover.
“These (missions) further motivate our efforts in the Philippines to unlock the benefits of space and bring space capabilities to the fore to address the current and future sustainability challenges we face here on Earth,” Marciano said.
He added that the space agreement between PhilSA and UAESA was a “groundbreaking agreement”.
UAESA Director General Salem Butti Salem Al-Qubaisi, who signed the agreement with Marciano, said at the time that the agreement would provide the scientific community with data and information “in the service of humanity”.
He told the Emirates News Agency: “The UAE Space Agency is committed to establishing constructive international partnerships with agencies to exchange experiences and positively reflect the development of the country’s space sector by developing qualified talents and human resources capable of underpinning sustainability. .”
The agreement with the Philippines will help foster cooperation in applications not only for space exploration, but also for research, data acquisition, and use of data to address challenges such as climate change, disaster management, emergency response, and agriculture.
“PhilSA believes it (the deal) will strengthen ties between space agencies and maximize the opportunities and potential we have from our peers,” Marciano said.
“PhilSA and UAESA will benefit from joint conferences, workshops, knowledge-sharing events on space science and technology applications, and advancing space education through student exchange programs and graduate studies.”
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