Investment in rocketing space sector nearly doubles to reach $11bn
▶ Commercial spending increased a third in past year, says UAE Space Agency
The UAE has nearly doubled investment in its space sector in the past nine years to Dh40 billion ($11bn), compared to Dh22 billion in 2015, the country’s space agency has said.
This rise in investment has been made possible largely due to commercial spending in the industry, which surged by 29.51 per cent year on year, as well as a 7.73 per cent increase in the sector’s overall value, said the UAE Space Agency.
“Space investment is an investment in the nation and its children’s future, as this vital sector represents a key driver of innovation and creates new and diverse opportunities for sustainable economic growth,” said UAE Space Agency chairman Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, who is also Minister of Education, at the first board meeting of the year on Monday.
At the meeting, members discussed projects, regulations, legislation and investment.
Dr Al Falasi was this year reappointed chairman of the UAE Space Agency, having previously held this position between 2017 and 2020.
He replaces Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, who led the agency from 2020.
Also attending the meeting was Emirati astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
Last year, Dr Al Neyadi spent six months on the International Space Station, where he became the first Arab to make a spacewalk.
The meeting heard that a growing number of related companies are setting up operations in the UAE, boosting investment in the space sector.
A dedicated economic zone has been set up to encourage further growth in the industry, and 14 companies have started operating there since it was launched in 2022.
The number of government-led projects is also increasing, with a mission to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter also in the pipeline, the meeting heard.
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is among the top projects. The 13-year project features six years of spacecraft development and seven years of exploration – with a launch date expected in 2028
The cost has not yet been revealed but is expected to be backed by significant input from private companies.
UAE spacecraft MBR Explorer, named after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, will study seven asteroids and attempt to land on one.
It will also swing by Venus and Mars, in an attempt to capture images and record data of those planets on the way.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai is also helping to supply Nasa with a science airlock – an airtight room used to enter and exit a space station – for its Lunar Gateway programme.
The cost of the project was not disclosed, but an airlock typically costs $100 million.
In exchange, an Emirati will fly to the space station orbiting the Moon, although a separate agreement would need to be signed for a UAE citizen to land on the lunar surface.
Salem Al Qubaisi, director general of the agency, said it plans to continue developing new projects.
“We aspire to draw in a greater pool of skilled talents, providing them with robust training and fostering the development of their expertise across space sciences and other fields,” said Mr Al Qubaisi.
“This concerted effort is geared towards ensuring the sustainability and continuous advancement of the national space sector, both in the immediate and long term.”
Details of the UAE’s Emirates Mars Mission, which involved the Hope probe, were also discussed at the board meeting.
It has gathered more than 4.1 terabytes of data on the Martian atmosphere since it reached orbit in 2021, with the information contributing to more than 270 scientific papers.
It was announced in February last year that the Mars mission would be extended by another year. The agency could decide to continue it beyond then, depending on budgets and the health of the spacecraft.
It has already played a major role in helping to shape the country’s space programme.
The public-private partnership model used in that project has been adopted to develop the mission to the asteroid belt.
The agency’s chairman, Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, said the sector is a key driver of innovation and creates diverse opportunities