The UAE has entered the space race, and has already contributed so much to the industry, with the latest achievement of it all being sending the first Emirati into space and to the International Space Station. But why is the UAE entering this domain?
صورة من الفضاء
A selfie from space pic.twitter.com/B3RcwECGiW— Hazzaa AlMansoori (@astro_hazzaa) October 2, 2019
On the 25th September 2019, the Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori travelled to join the International Space Station in orbit, 400 KM above Earth. On his journey into space, he reached speeds of something like 20 times the speed of sound as the 160-tonne Soyuz rocket escaped Earth’s gravitational pull. On his return, today (3rd October 2019), he will fly at a speed of 7,660 metres per second.
He’s certainly taken the fast track.
Hazza was the first Arab to travel to the ISS and the first Emirati in space. Of the many tasks he was given to accomplish in his scheduled eight-day mission, one was to take viewers watching from earth on a tour of the ISS in Arabic. This was the first chance many, many people across the Arab world had to gain a closer view of the ISS and see how it works. It has given inspiration to young people across the Arab world.
Hazza’s mission is part of a broad sweep of investments and initiatives that have taken the United Arab Emirates into the space age. Engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre have not only designed, constructed, launched and operated satellites that stand as the most technologically advanced in their class, but are now working on sending a space probe to Mars (with a mission named: Hope Probe), which will launch in the summer of 2020 and arrive in Mars’ orbit in early 2021.
The UAE Space Agency is driving awareness of, and investment in, space sciences and engineering. On the one hand, Masdar Institute for Science and Technology, home to the Yahsat Space Laboratory now offers a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, on the other hand, students at the American University of Sharjah have constructed and launched a functional CubeSat, Nayif-1.
The UAE is investing massively in space sciences. Why? Because the UAE government believe this dynamic, vibrant sector will provide jobs and opportunities for young people – that space will be the ‘Jebel Ali of the future’, an important and critical element in the future development of humanity. The UAE wants to lead the way forwards in space sciences, advanced research and engineering, building a centre of excellence and expertise that will foster investment, innovation, start-ups and new ventures. The UAE already sits at the centre of an increasing number of international co-operation efforts in space, including its role as a founder of the global PanGeo Alliance of satellite operators. As a young, but fast-growing, member of the international space community, the UAE aims to build and develop real-world opportunities for its young people in this important industry.
Every dirham the UAE invests in space is an investment in the future of this nation’s youth.
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