UAE ties up with Nasa on manned space flights
dubai — The UAE Space Agency has signed an agreement with Nasa to cooperate in human space flights. The agreement was signed by the UAE Space Agency’s director-general, Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi and Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine on Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow, being held in the UK.
The deal has been signed less than one month after the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) signed an agreement with Russia’s space agency (Roscosmos) to send the first Emirati to space onboard the Soyuz rocket in April, 2019. A Russian commander and an American engineer will also be on the flight to the International Space Station.
“This morning I met with the Director-General of the UAESpaceAgency, Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi. We signed a joint letter of intent for cooperation in human space flight. I look forward to working with DrAl Ahbabi to further humanity’s exploration of space,” tweeted Bridenstine, who is the new Nasa chief under the Trump administration.
The UAE Space Agency also tweeted on Wednesday: “The UAE Space Agency, represented by Dr Al Ahbabi, director-general, signs a letter of intent with Nasa, represented by Jim Bridenstine administrator, while in the UK for @FIAFarnborough. The MoU builds on joint cooperation in the fields of manned space flights #FIA18.”
Speaking at Farnborough, Dr Al Ahbabi said: “This agreement strengthens our ongoing mutual collaboration and contributes to the strategic objectives of the UAE Space Agency. The formation of close partnerships with leading space agencies and organisations around the world continues to contribute to the strengthening of our international standing within the global space sector.
“This agreement is particularly important due to NASA’s widereaching expertise in manned space missions. NASA has a record number of successful manned spaceflights that have brought significant contributions to humankind’s development, and our agreement with NASA will enhance our national capabilities in this advanced field.”
Nasa and the UAE Space Agency have held several meetings in the past to find ways to strengthen their partnership. One agreement was signed between the two agencies last year, where they agreed to cooperate in aeronautics research and to utilise airspace and outer space for peaceful purposes. In 2016, they signed an agreement to cooperate in exploring Mars. However, this is the first agreement between the two in terms of cooperation in human space flights.