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UAE helps region go into orbit
Dubai : The UAE is forging ahead with the development of a national space industry and its pioneering role can help accelerate the establishment of a pan-Arab space agency which would reduce the cost of sending satellites into orbit.
There are currently more than 20 emerging national space projects in the Middle East and Africa, a region that is rapidly evolving as one of the key growth markets for the global space industry.
The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology’s (EIAST) summer launch of the UAE’s first ingeniously built remote sensing satellite, DubaiSat-1 and Yahsat’s planned telecommunication satellite launches is evidence that the UAE is showing the way forward for Arab countries in the creation of a regional space programme.
In recent months Abu Dhabi-based 4C GEOC has announced plans for a $1-billion Earth Observation Space Center while Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments has taken a $280-million (Dh1 billion), 32-per cent stake in Virgin Galactic. As part of the deal Aabar plans to build a spaceport in Abu Dhabi and will have rights to all Virgin Galactic traffic in the region.