Hope & an Eye on the Future: The UAE’s Space Sector

The launch of the Hope probe in July 2020 made the United Arab Emirates the first Arab nation to undertake inter-planetary exploration. The unmanned spacecraft has been in orbit around Mars since February 2021, and reports have it that the mission is now studying the moons of the Red Planet. The UAE’s space agenda does not stop there: Sultan Al Neyadi, now a cult figure in Emirati society, became the first Arab astronaut to go on a long-term mission to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year. More recently, in April, he concluded a historic seven-hour-long spacewalk. The UAE’s eye on the great beyond is encapsulated by its National Space Strategy 2030. The 60-page long document outlines the country’s ambition to develop “advanced local capacities in space technology manufacturing and R&D”, among others. Satellite manufacturing and launching are also part of the plan. How will these endeavours support other sectors, such as defence and communications? What are the key findings of the Mars Mission? How far have local interest and capacity come since the inception of the Space Strategy in 2017? The Middle East Institute, in collaboration with the UAE embassy in Singapore, hosted Mr Ali Al Shehhi, the Director of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), and an experienced hand in the intelligence and space satellite domains, to answer these questions and more.