UAE reaching for stars with an economy built on space technology

Seeks to confirm its status as a spacefaring nation

LONDON: The Indians are heading to Mars. The Chinese are going to the Moon. Nasa, meanwhile, continues its attempts to “boldly go” at the lowest possible price.

Joining them this week was a new competitor for the final frontier, from a land where cost is an apparent irrelevance. The UAE laid out its “strategic framework” for a mission to Mars by 2020 and an economy built not on oil but space technology.

In Abu Dhabi the proposals were unveiled at a conference that featured models of existing Emirati satellites. The UAE is fast establishing itself as the Arab world’s leader in the space sector. The UAE Space Agency aims to regulate and support the country’s space sector, which includes satellite programmes.

The agency’s chairman Khalifa Mohammed Thani alRumaithi said the space industry will help diversify the country’s economy and create highly skilled jobs. “The UAE is seeking to confirm its status as a spacefaring nation in which the industry plays a key role in sustainable economic development,” he said.

The Dubai-based team behind a 2020 mission to Mars says its probe will circle the planet studying its atmosphere. Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, said earlier this month that he hoped the probe, named Hope, will provide inspiration for the Arab world. – The Independent