Vice President begins hunt for first four Emirati astronauts
The search for the fantastic four has begun.
That was the message from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid as the Vice President urged young Emiratis to apply to join the country’s nascent space programme.
But while there is a need for a wide range of talented scientists, technicians, engineers and ground crew, only the finest four will become astronauts.
Sheikh Mohammed, also Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday fired the figurative starting gun for the UAE Astronaut Programme.
Finalists will go through training in theory and science, as well as special qualification courses over several months and in accordance with the highest international standards and requirements.
The top candidates will be screened before four astronauts are selected to form the UAE’s Astronaut Team.
The four will join the International Space Station on the UAE’s first space mission, to share knowledge and experience with astronauts from other countries, state news agency Wam reported.
“On this day, a new chapter in our history begins with the launch of the first UAE Astronaut Programme, dedicated to training and sending four Emirati astronauts into space,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“The people of the UAE will break barriers, there is no power strong enough to stand in the way of those who believe nothing is impossible.
“Our ambitious goals are fueled by dedicated people, who support us until, without hesitation or scepticism, we succeed,” he said.
“I invite young Emiratis to
register for the UAE Astronaut Programme through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
“The most competitive applicants will be selected to be ambassadors for the UAE in space exploration.
“However, every single Emirati will contribute in his or her own way to the future of the UAE, whether it’s on land, or in the skies.”
The astronauts will enhance the UAE’s achievements in the space sector by doing scientific experiments within an integrated project aimed at exploring biology and the ways organisms adapt to non-terrestrial environments.
The Astronauts Programme is dedicated to selecting and training ambitious and successful Emiratis in space exploration.
The programme will support the UAE’s mission to become a hub for the space sector in the region and to become global leader in space exploration over the next 50 years.
In April, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, announced the establishment of the National Space Programme and the launch of the Astronaut Programme, which plans to send the first Emirati astronaut to space and open the door for future exploration.
Salem Al Marri, assistant director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said putting an Emirati astronaut in orbit was part of a programme with a serious purpose, rather than being simply for prestige.
“This is an initiative from the UAE Government to have a sustainable human spaceflight programme,” Mr Al Marri said at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Australia in September.
The intention is to have the first UAE astronaut in space by 2021, in time for the country’s 50th anniversary.
In recent months the UAE has announced several space projects. The year 2021 will herald the arrival of the space probe Hope, the climax of the Emirates Mars Mission. The UAE also plans to the build the first human settlement on Mars by 2117.
In September, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announced plans to establish Mars Science City, a project that will replicate life on Mars and include laboratories for food, energy and water research.
The intention of the programme is to have the first UAE astronaut in space by 2021