Mars mission ignites a sense of excitement

This ambitious project and its support work will take UAE into dramatically new frontiers

The UAE’s mission to Mars sets a very high target that proves the nation’s scientific and human ambition is not flagging and is seeking dramatically new sectors in which to excel. It is very important for the UAE’s confidence and success that the country feels that is being continually challenged to do better and find new areas in which to expand human knowledge and its own capabilities.

The fact that the UAE has no current space capability has not stopped the country from setting up such an ambitious project. No nation can ever relax and feel that “the job is done” because such complacency would be a disaster, which would soon lead to disintegration and failure. This is why moving into such a new and demanding area is so exciting. It will require a very high level of technical skills, which are being delivered by the education and training institutions in the country.

The Mars mission also compliments the UAE’s vision of diversifying into specific strategic industries that are technology and knowledge rich. Aerospace is one such target industry and companies like Strata are already making parts for planes all over the world. The new skills from the Mars mission will in time feed into the growing diversity of the UAE’s manufacturing base.

But the main benefit is the sense of national excitement that the UAE is entirely capable of delivering success in such a demanding task. It raises people’s expectation of what can be achieved in every sector, and makes the average delivery of a normal service look mundane. The UAE wants to deliver what is exceptional, and it will use this ambition to grow its economy and its people so that it continues to be one of the foremost nations of the global community. Very few ‘developing’ nations are in the position to become global leaders, which is what the Mars missions and the support work that it requires, is going to do for the UAE.