Photo: WAM
Published date: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 4:18 pm
The UAE is training a new generation of space explorers and scientists through its strong collaboration with NASA and other U.S. partners, with the Emirates Airlock being one major initiative currently under development.
This was also reaffirmed during the historic meeting between Sheikh Mohammed and US President Joe Biden in Washington DC on September 23.
The visit marks the first visit to Washington by a UAE president and the fourth bilateral meeting between the two leaders under the Biden-Harris administration.
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The two leaders highlighted the UAE and US groundbreaking cooperation in space exploration and their mutual interest in deepening their understanding of space.
Teams work together to create new projects
Speaking in light of the meeting, Danny Sebright, president of the US-UAE Business Council, said, “Mars and Artemis will be the focus…This ‘Airlock’…this space project is about using the Moon as a launch pad for the future. Both agencies already have 10-15 year plans. It will not only grow with the astronauts themselves, but through actual research and development, teams working together to create new projects.”
It was also reiterated that more Emirati astronauts will be trained at the Johnson Space Center, and collaboration between NASA and the UAE Space Agency, and between NASA and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), is set to expand.
“It’s important that we move forward and do more in these areas. The UAE wants to explore asteroids, we want to do that too. We want to do this together on all aspects of Mars, Artemis and everything else,” Sebright told Khaleej Times.
Ushers in a new era of exploration
The Leaders shared a common spirit and aspirations for humanity’s space exploration, reaffirmed the principles of the Artemis Accords, emphasized the peaceful exploration and use of space, and ushered in a new era of exploration.
According to a White House government briefing, “The leaders highlighted the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center agreement signed with NASA in January 2024, which will see the center provide the airlock for the Gateway, humanity’s first lunar-orbiting space station, in support of NASA’s long-duration lunar exploration missions under the Artemis program.”
Notably, in March 2024, the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. hosted an event celebrating UAE-US space cooperation, attended by senior officials from both countries, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and UAE Minister of Youth and Astronauts Sultan Al Neyadi.
What is a Gateway?
The “Gateway” space station will be humanity’s first international lunar orbiting station, enabling continued exploration and research in deep space, providing a place for astronauts to live and work, enabling equipment transfer, serving as a base for lunar surface missions, and facilitating spacewalks in lunar orbit.
The MBRSC team, led by Executive Director Salem Humaid Almarri, has begun development of the airlock module and has held multiple meetings with NASA’s Gateway team at the Johnson Space Center to collaborate on building humanity’s first lunar base.
This partnership builds on NASA and the UAE’s existing human spaceflight collaboration.
In 2023, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi will take part in the Arab country’s longest space mission, launching to the International Space Station (ISS) to contribute to scientific research in the orbital laboratory to advance human knowledge and improve life on Earth.
5th anniversary of astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri’s launch into the ISS
Meanwhile, Wednesday marks five years since Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori was launched into space to the International Space Station.
In 2019, Hazza made history by becoming the first Emirati citizen to travel to space, working with NASA on the ISS, conducting experiments and taking part in educational activities.
He launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome along with Soyuz MS-15 commander Oleg Skripochka and flight engineer Jessica Meir, and the three conducted just under six hours of free flight before docking with the ISS’s Zvezda module.
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