UAE to spend Dh100 million to establish First Space Research Centre in Middle East

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed on Monday that it has planned to set up its first Space Research Centre in the Middle East. The project will cost about Dh100 million. According to UAE, the project will help boost the country’s efforts in space including the Hope Probe. The Hope Probe mission by UAE has been planned for 2021 which will explore Mars’ atmosphere.

The new plan of the country was announced on Monday as part of the Strategic Framework Plan of the UAE Space Agency. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, said that the establishment of the space research centre will be a primary national objective. According to him, every person related to the plan will have to work as one team.

He said that the Hope Probe and the space agency of the UAE are important milestones for the country’s progress in field of science. Dr Charles Elachi, Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), said, “The UAE’s Hope Probe to Mars will not only advance human scientific knowledge and strengthen the UAE’s technological capabilities; it will also provide inspiration to all the young people in the UAE and throughout the Arab world”.

The plan was disclosed in a ceremony that was held in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. During the ceremony, the UAE Space Agency’s four strategic goals were revealed. First goal is to develop a world-class national space sector. The second is to promote scientific research. Promotion of national resources to become space scientists and technology pioneers is the third goal, while the fourth goal is to build and enhance international cooperation.

During the ceremony, the Middle East also gets its graduate degree programme in Advanced Space Science.