Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai reviews the UAE 10 year space mission programme. Photo: Twitter
It was announced yesterday that the UAE’s space mission plans are expanding further, with a goal to send the first Arab mission to the Moon by 2024. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai reviewed a new ten-year plan for the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on Saturday which will also include the development of new satellites and an outer space simulation center.
The moon mission was included in this new strategy. The Emirates Moon Exploration Project aims to send the first Arab mission “with national competencies” to the moon by 2024. However, it is unclear whether that would be a manned or unmanned mission.
Sheikh Mohammed updated about the regional mission via Twitter, adding that further details would be announced in due course.
برامج الفضاء الإماراتية هي برامج تنموية مستدامة .. ستنعكس على بقية القطاعات .. وستؤهل كوادر تخصصية استثنائية .. وستشارك خبراتها مع دول المنطقة وأبناء المنطقة .. وستبني شراكات معرفية دولية تعود بالخير والنفع على البشرية بإذن الله . pic.twitter.com/TFubpPfY8V
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) September 26, 2020
“I reviewed the plan of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre for the next 10 years. We have new space missions that we will announce soon,” he said on Saturday. “And programmes to develop new specialised satellites and an outer space simulation centre will be built for training and academic and educational programmes, with universities to build a new scientific and technical culture.”
The country’s latest space mission was revealed a day after the nation celebrated the one-year anniversary of the UAE’s first astronaut going to the International Space Station. “The UAE’s ambition in the space sector explores, plans and makes the future. Our youth, engineers and pioneers open new horizons in the science, technology and innovation fields in this vital sector for the future of our world,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
“The space sector in the country represents a tributary to the Arab space sector with the experiences it has gained and the knowledge it has developed and the strategic partnerships it has held. Its future programmes for training national cadres in the space sector and building satellites will be supported by knowledge, data and innovations academic and scientific research institutions in the Arab world and the world for the benefit of mankind.”
He added that the Emirati space programme was sustainable and would offer opportunities and practical applications across other sectors for the region moving forward, too.
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