The UAE will host a global space symposium next year where experts will discuss the latest developments in space research.
The 22nd International Academy of Astronautics Human in Space Symposium will be held in Dubai in 2019. It will be the first time it is held in the Middle East and North Africa.
Yousuf Al Shaibani, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said the symposium would offer an opportunity to enhance knowledge "that will serve humanity and improve people's lives".
He said hosting the event was part of the centre's efforts to promote the UAE as a hub for space science and research.
Last year's symposium was held in Shenzhen in southern China in November. Astronauts from six countries and researchers from 60 countries attended.
The UAE plans to send its first Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station in April 2019.
The first Emirati in space will fly in a Russian Soyuz capsule, currently the only manned space ship capable of reaching orbit after the end of Nasa’s shuttle programme.
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Read more:
Special report: The inside story of how the UAE landed its first place in space
UAE astronaut candidates begin intensive physical testing in Russia
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