Photo: WAM
Expo 2020 Dubai will be hosting a virtual space week starting today, October 5. The two-day Expo Space Week coincides with World Space Week, which started on October 4 and ends on October 10.
“Space travel and exploration has captured imaginations for generations, and on the back of the exponential rate that technological advancement is progressing, the dream of space tourism is closer to being a reality than ever,” stated the organizers.
The virtual Space Week is considered the first in a series of pre-Expo themed weeks that will be held soon. The event will feature space industry specialists from around the world as they address the Expo enquiry: ‘How can we safely and productively explore new frontiers?’
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The distinguished list of speakers includes Reem Al Hashimy, director-general of Expo 2020 and Minister of State for International Co-operation and president of UAE Space Agency, Sarah Al Amiri. Additionally, the event will be welcoming Speakers from US space agency Nasa, including chief scientist James Green, planetary scientist Ryan Zeigler and Nasa’s chief historian Brian Odom. The Expo School Programme will also partake with ‘The Universe in Motion’ session, among other space-related topics.
The event aims to launch a connection into a growing interest in the space sector across the Emirates as HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has outlined plans for the UAE to send a lunar lander to unexplored regions of the Moon by 2024.
In recent years, the UAE has made significant developments in its efforts to launch its status as a major player in the global space race. September 2019 saw Maj Hazza Al Mansouri becoming the first Emirati to travel in space throughout an eight-day expedition onboard the International Space Station. More recently, the UAE launched Al Amal (also known as the Hope Probe), which is the Arab world’s first mission to Mars, aiming to investigate the atmospheric conditions of the Red Planet by capturing data using Hope’s three scientific instruments.
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