UAE space sector to harness nation's top talent to boost ambitions

UAE Space Pavilion at a global conference in Milan features government-run organisations, private companies and academic institutions

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi conducting an historic spacewalk last year. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi / Instagram

A UAE Space Agency chief has laid out a road map to help the nation reach for the stars by bringing together a cross-section of industry, government departments and private companies to secure crucial funding, train up talent and provide a launch pad for future missions.

The Emirates put on a united front at the world's largest space conference in Milan this week by gathering its key organisations in the burgeoning sector under a single banner for the first time.

UAE-based organisations have been participating in the annual International Astronautical Congress for many years, but always had individual booths to showcase its projects.

This year, however, the UAE Space Pavilion is helping to show how the country has a growing space ecosystem comprising private companies, government agencies and academic institutions that are involved in missions and looking to form partnerships.

Ibrahim Al Qasim, deputy director general of the UAE Space Agency, told The National at the conference, which is taking place until Friday, that efforts are being made at a government level to consolidate the sector and support its development.

Launch pad for success

“This is an idea that has been in conversation for a while, but all of the pieces sort of fell together in the right place,” he said. “It feels like the right time to bring all these elements together and show what we built over the years, so that it ensures that our partners can easily identify all the opportunities between us and them in one place.

"I think this is going to be the trend moving forward, and we're very excited to see the prospects coming up."

Most of the major national projects like the UAE Astronaut Programme and the airlock being developed for Nasa’s lunar Gateway station falls under the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), a government-run organisation based in Dubai.

The centre was formed in 2006 and was a vital player in helping the sector grow, including developing the country's first Earth-observation satellites, securing flights to the International Space Station for two Emirati astronauts and negotiating the Gateway deal with Nasa, in which an Emirati will fly to the lunar station in exchange on a future mission.

And when the UAE Space Agency was formed in 2014, it helped to create a full ecosystem by attracting companies to set up operations in the country, launching a Dh3 billion fund for organisations and providing support in licensing for businesses.

Dipping into deep talent pool

Now, government organisations like MBRSC can outsource some parts of their projects to increase efficiency, like how it did with the development of its latest Earth-observation satellite MBZ-Sat.

Several start-ups that are operating under the Space Economic Zone, a space-tech hub in the Emirates, were invited to show their projects under the UAE Space Pavilion.

The Dubai Airshow, one of the world’s largest air shows, and the Abu Dhabi Space Debate conference were also presenting at the pavilion.

Mr Al Qasim said that uniting the space organisations aligns with the goals of the Supreme Space Council, which was formed last week.

“The trend of consolidating the UAE space sector is not only happening during these international events, but also at the highest level of government,” he said.

The council is led by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.

It has several UAE ministers as members, including the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Adviser to the President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology and two undersecretaries from the Ministry of Defence.

The council will report directly to the UAE Cabinet and will be responsible of approving legislation, policies and strategies related to the sector.

Funding boost

Mr Al Qasim said that the formation of the council means space organisations can also possibly seek funding for new missions.

“I think it would be the council to lobby with for additional funding for new programmes,” he said. “It'll be the council that has full visibility across all sectors within space as it includes members from industry, economy, industry, of industry and advanced technologies.”

When asked if the consolidation efforts was also to help boost the UAE's soft power, Mr Al Qasim said that it is a "good secondary outcome but was never the main objective".

"I think soft power has been a word that has always been linked with space programmes," he said. "I don't think we started off in space thinking about soft power – it was always a mean to diversify the economy, to build a science-technology ecosystem in the country that would support adjacent industries, as well as upskill and train talent."