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Last year, six countries – Saudi

Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco,

Algeria and Bahrain – kicked off

talks related to space. This year,

Sudan, Oman and Kuwait joined

the group. Cochran believes the

main challenge facing the region is

the constant requirement to travel

outside the Middle East for relatively

simple launches of CubeSats.

“Having a launch capability for

peaceful space programs from the

UAE or the GCC is a must in the short

term,” he said. “The space program

in the UAE is vital as it provides the

reach goals that combine all indus- tries, governments and academic

programs behind visionary goals.

It also provides the velocity for the

regional shifts as major players in

the space and aerospace industry.”

He spoke of the UAE’s space

program as a beacon of hope and

prosperity for the planet as the

human race strives to explore deep

space with global partners. But

more work needs to be done to

achieve the ultimate goal of creating

an Arab space agency.

“The Middle East, and particu- larly the UAE, is actively pursuing

involvement in the space sector,” said

Francesco Arneodo, associate dean

of science and associate professor

of physics at New York University –

Abu Dhabi. “The progress has been

very fast, with important initiatives

like the ambitious Mars Mission,

that foresees an orbiter around Mars

in 2021, the establishment of the

UAE Space Agency and the organi- zation of international events.”

He said the agency is working

on involving local and interna- tional institutes, including univer- sities, research institutions and

companies, to lay the foundations

of a durable and productive space

sector.

“Access to space is often seen

as a benchmark for the techno- logical development of a country,”

he said. “Putting a satellite in orbit

nowadays costs much less than 10

to 20 years ago, and the diffusion

of relatively cheap micro-satellites,

among which the CubeSats – which

are small, high-tech cubes of 10sqcm

– offers an ideal platform for

training and prototyping,

a platform that is also

becoming accessible to

undergraduate students.

“However, if the goal is

to establish a source of

sustained innovation,

and eventually of

revenue, it should

not be forgotten

that this comes

normally as the

last step of a

complex system

that includes

basic research

that scientists do

as an important element.”

And with the UAE’s plans to send

the Arab world’s first mission to

Mars through its Amal (Hope) probe

by 2021, and Saudi working on

developing satellite technologies

for use in remote sensing and space

communications, time is pressing.

“It’s really exciting to see how fast

the Middle East region is adopting

space exploration activities,” said

Bas Lansdorp, chief executive

at Mars One in the Netherlands.

“The world is becoming more and

more aware that space is not

just a great way to inspire,

but also a business.”

As Gulf countries

gradually shift

their economies

away from oil,

building national

capacity in the

space sector

can significantly

contribute to meeting

the countries’ missions. “The

UAE’s government built the infra- structure and heavily invested in

this sector as it will allow it to be a

pioneer in this vital field,” said Dr

Ahmed Murad, dean of the college

of science at United Arab Emirates

University. “Having the UAE Space

Agency will help the country to

structure and govern this sector

in a proper way. The Emirates

implemented the best practices in

forming the agency.”

He said establishing a space

agency in every country is crucial

to lead the sector and further

advance civilization. “This will

help the region become the hub

of advanced research in space

while meeting the goals of the

UAE’s Centennial 2071 project,

for instance,” Dr Murad said.

“The Middle East is advancing in

adopting space and the sector has

become a dream for every student.

Different space-related entities

have worked to pave the way to

build state-of-the-art infrastruc- ture that will help researchers

conduct their work in issues and

challenges associated with space.”

The region’s educational sector is

also undergoing massive revamping

to be able to adapt to changing

times, with new and more focused

curricula and programs focusing on

science, technology, engineering,

mathematics and space.

UAE University is no excep- tion, with its physics department

offering a new space science track

this fall. Its college of science is also

working on developing a minor in

space science, which will be open

to all students at the university. It

is also working with other colleges

to develop a graduate program in

space science and technology.

“The main challenges that face the

region will be limited to recruiting

high-caliber researchers in the

field of space in order to transfer

the best practices of space to the

region,” Dr Murad added. “Rapid

developments in technology also

pose challenges to the Middle East,

but space is extremely important

for regional countries because it is

one of the main pillars that will help

them diversify their economy in the

long run.”

the region. And although the call in

2008 to establish a pan-Arab space

agency has not progressed as much

as many had hoped, experts say the

idea led to other positive develop- ments, such as the establishment of

the UAE Space Agency in 2014.

The UAE has quickly estab- lished itself as a global player on

space-related matters, with other

countries, such as Saudi Arabia,

closely following suit.

“With the Kingdom announcing

last year it is investing $1 billion

in Virgin Galactic and its spinoff

companies, it too is returning to

reboot its now decades-old space

program, that most notably had

Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, the

first royal astronaut and the first

Arab Muslim, to fly in outer space

in 1985,” said Matthew Cochran,

chairman of the Defense Services

WORLD SPACE WEEK

We have

lift-off

Caline Malek Dubai

Space enthusiasts and

experts have planned more

than 3,700 events in 80

countries to mark World

Space Week, which begins

and ends every year with

two dates significant to the

start of the first space age:

On Oct. 4, 1957, the date Rus- sia launched Sputnik 1, the

world’s first satellite, and on

Oct. 10, 1967, an international

space treaty came into effect.

But as the world moves into the

second space age, it won’t be long

before the Middle East has its own

set of milestones to mark.

Space science, mathematics,

engineering and technology are

increasingly gaining ground across

Marketing Council, an Abu Dhabi- based network of partnerships

related to regional defense, space

and security marketing. “The

region is primarily dominated by

the UAE Space Program, being the

most relevant and mature in 2018

with its Mars mission and astro- naut programs.”

The Middle East is making

its own strides in space, from

satellites to a Mars mission

The UAE

Space Agency

is planning a

Mission to Mars,

while Saudi

Arabia’s King

Abdulaziz City

for Science and

Technology, left,

has developed

two satellites.

Prince Sultan

bin Salman,

below, was

the first Arab,

Muslim and

royal in space.

1976: The Arab Satellite

Communications Organization

(aka Arabsat) is established

by Saudi Arabia and other

Arab League countries with

headquarters in Riyadh.

1985: Saudi Prince Sultan bin

Salman becomes the first Arab,

first Muslim and first royal in

space, on a mission aboard

the Discovery space shuttle to

deploy an Arabsat satellite.

1987: Syria’s Muhammed Faris

becomes the second Arab

astronaut on a joint mission with

Russia aboard the Soyuz TM-3

spacecraft to the Mir space

station.

2014: The UAE Space Agency is

established.

2018: The UAE announces

it will send one its first two

astronauts, Hazza Al-Mansouri

and Sultan Al-Neyadi, on a

mission to the International

Space Station in 2019.

2020-21: The UAE is planning

a mission to Mars with a

spacecraft called Amal (Hope).

KEYDATES

Prince Sultan bin Salman was one

of seven astronauts aboard the

space shuttle Discovery in June

1985. The Al-Saud name appeared

on Nasa’s mission patch.