UAE space programme enters a bold new era

Sustained and varied technological activity involving youngsters contributes to the development of a space-enthusiastic generation

The UAE space programme achieved yet another important milestone recently: The launch of KhalifaSat, the first satellite entirely designed and built by Emiratis and in the UAE. The UAE’s space programme took off with a bang four years ago with the announcement of the ‘Amal’ (‘Hope’) space probe to Mars, and shortly afterwards the establishment of the UAE space agency. The Emirates Mars mission, which will be launched in July 2020 to reach the red planet in 2021 (on the occasion of the 50th birthday of the UAE), had a very tight timeline, but has progressed extremely well and is expected to be crowned with great technical and scientific success.

However, the UAE was not content with those big developments and goals. Additional programmes and milestones have been added to the Emirati space endeavours. Most notable was the selection of the first two Emiratis to be sent to the International Space Station next year. They are currently being trained in Russia — another bold and brilliant initiative conducted effectively in a short time frame by the two institutions in charge of space programmes: The UAE Space Agency and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

But even these impressive programmes and successes hide a number of other activities that serve the field, the country and the region in the long run.

A couple of weeks ago a two-day Next-Generation Space Tech conference was held in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of experts from the region (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman) and from Europe (the Netherlands, Poland). Speakers reported on various space science and technology programmes and activities that are being carried out by several academic and industrial institutions.

To give just a few examples from my university, the American University of Sharjah, 18 months ago engineering students collaborated with MBRSC in designing and building the Nayif-1 cubesat, which was then launched by an Indian rocket — a successful proof of concept of what local talent can produce and a good omen for the future. I had reported on the students (many of them Emiratis) who have been working with me on space science and astrophysics research projects with topics ranging from Mars to exoplanets and cosmic gamma-ray bursts. There are a number of benefits of such activities. Educationally, students learn to tackle scientific topics and apply theoretical knowledge to current, front-line research issues. Students discover the wealth of space science data, learn how to mine them, how to analyse them, and how to interpret the results they obtain, as big data and international projects have changed today’s research, let alone tomorrow’s. Most importantly, the new skills that students acquire through such research can serve them in a wide range of careers.

Sought-after experts

There are also important strategic benefits in the training of youngsters for tomorrow’s space programmes. This kind of work directly supports the development of today’s and tomorrow’s space programmes (projects of the UAE Space Agency, missions led by the MBRSC, etc) as well as other countries’: Expat students here can take their skills back to their countries or Emiratis can become sought-after experts elsewhere. At the very least, sustained and varied space-tech activity with youngsters contributes to the development of a space-enthusiastic generation.

The UAE Space Agency and MBRSC are leading the big effort in various ways. The next two years will witness a number of historic events, from the first UAE astronaut to be sent to the International Space Station to the launch of the Emirates ‘Amal’ Mars Mission and the hosting shortly afterward of the 71st International Astronautical Congress in Dubai — not to mention Expo 2020, which will undoubtedly have strong space themes. There is even talk of a near-future development of space rocket-launching capabilities — how exciting that would be!

We need to be ready for this new era. We must prepare ourselves, the young generation and the whole society for the activities that will come with it.