Since the beginning of this year, the UAE has achieved 4 qualitative achievements that consolidated its global leadership in the space industry and exploration sector, which has become a major priority in the country’s future development plans.
The four achievements are the launch of the National Radar Satellite Program (SRT), the establishment of the National Fund to Support the Space Sector, the launch of a new long-term mission to the International Space Station, in addition to the UAE winning the presidency of the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space “COBOS”.
The beginning with the latest achievement represented in the launch of the UAE, last Sunday, the National Program for Radar Satellites (Swarm) to develop a swarm of radar satellites, which is one of the qualitative programs and the first in the Arab world in the space sector.
The program will contribute to monitoring the changes that occur on the planet due to climate changes and work to find innovative solutions for environmental sustainability and resources on the Earth’s surface.
The program includes the first Arab satellite for radar sensing, and it will provide, over 6 years, within its system to the UAE, for the first time, continuous data from space around the clock and in all weather conditions, using advanced technology that achieves imaging accuracy (to less than 1 meter). Through it, a swarm of commercial radar satellites will be developed to support the economic sectors and a number of vital sectors in the country.
The program enhances the UAE’s efforts to find solutions to challenges related to climate change and environmental sustainability and contribute to urban development, and work to integrate efforts and support facing disasters and food security challenges, among others, by relying on qualified national cadres and Emirati companies, in addition to encouraging partnerships with international institutions and providing them with incentives, which is considered As an extension of the Economic Space Zones project aimed at consolidating the UAE’s position as a global hub for talent, investment and innovation.
In conjunction with the launch of the program, the UAE announced the establishment of a specialized strategic fund to support the space sector in the country, working to provide financial resources and governance of its management in line with the state’s orientation towards finding alternative and innovative solutions to finance projects and develop the sector.
The establishment of the fund – which will be under the umbrella of the UAE Space Agency, amounting to 3 billion dirhams – will contribute to promoting investments from interested entrepreneurs and private companies, and work to finance and facilitate the development of future space activities and projects.
The Space Fund aims to sustain capacity development in the space sector, qualify Emirati cadres to lead the sector of national priority, increase the contribution of the UAE space sector to diversifying the national economy, encourage the private sector, and attract globally specialized companies to develop their projects and activities in the UAE.
The fund includes within its plans and projects the establishment of an academy to develop the capabilities of engineers in the development of satellites, a space data complex, and the establishment of a business incubator to support small companies with experience and contracts, ensuring their work in projects that are developed by the fund.
And last June, the UAE won the presidency of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COBOS), one of the largest committees at the United Nations, which has a membership of 100 countries, in an achievement that consolidates the country’s leadership in the field of space policy by leading dialogues on the main challenges facing The global space, and highlights the Emirati space diplomacy in facilitating the conclusion of international agreements and ensuring compliance with international treaties at a time of geopolitical and geoeconomic blocs and the race for access to space by the private sector.
According to the system in force in the United Nations, the UAE’s presidency of the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space “COBOS”, which was first established in 1959, and is affiliated with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, continues for a period of two years (2022-2023).
The UAE’s victory in this position during the current stage is of exceptional importance, as it is an important stage in setting space policies. As the countries of the world compete in launching large numbers of satellites, the committee’s role will be pivotal in building policies to ensure the sustainability of space and encourage the adoption of regulatory frameworks calling for responsible behavior.
In the new space missions, the UAE announced last April the launch of a new, long-term mission to the International Space Station that extends for 6 months, through the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center and Axiom Space, the company specialized in manned spaceflight and development. Space infrastructures in the United States for space exploration.
The space cooperation aims to launch the first long-term Arab mission to the International Space Station, which will be conducted by an Emirati astronaut. The agreement will enhance cooperation between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center and the US space agency “NASA”.
The 6-month mission will be launched in the spring of 2023, and the UAE will be one of 11 countries that have been able to send astronauts on long-term missions to the International Space Station. Arab break into space for long flights.
Yesterday, Wednesday, marks two years since the launch of the “Emirati Hope Probe” on its mission to explore Mars, while the UAE continues to prepare for the launch of the first Emirati and Arab explorer to land on the moon, as well as a project to build an Emirati spacecraft to launch an expedition to Venus and the asteroid belt. in the solar system.
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