The development witnessed in the UAE in all fields, and issued to the global indicators in many sectors related to the quality of life and the welfare of the country's population, and unique achievements, not urgent or random, but it is the result of a long effort and serious honest work, and a wise insightful vision set by the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, and the Emirates walked with pride, ambition and sincere determination, to transform the dreams of the late Sheikh Zayed into concrete achievements, and a reality that does not know the impossible. In the forefront of these dreams, the dream of the UAE's arrival in space, which began in the seventies of the last century, when the late Sheikh Zayed met with the NASA team responsible for the Apollo trip to the moon, as this meeting was an incentive to direct the UAE’s attention towards space . At the time, the late Sheikh Zayed expressed his belief in the importance of the Arabs having their presence in this field, and to continue what was started by Muslim and Arab scholars in the past, in his saying: “Space trips take pride in every person on the face of the earth, because it embodies faith in God and his ability. We feel as Arabs that we have a great role in this project and in this research, and we are proud of the tremendous progress in space science thanks to the rules established by Arab scientists hundreds of years ago, and we hope that peace will prevail and people realize the dangers threatening them because of the delay. This phrase was the starting point for an ambitious journey towards the birth of a national space sector, so Thuraya Communications was established in April 1997, and Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) 10 years later in 2007. Shortly before the establishment of Yahsat, Sahib established His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Emirates Foundation for Advanced Science and Technology, which aims to enhance space science and scientific research in the UAE and the region. The Foundation operated from February 2006 to April 2015, before the merger of the Foundation with the «Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center». In 2014, the Emirates Space Agency was established by a federal decree, and aims to develop the space sector in the country, where the agency assumes this responsibility by establishing partnerships and academic programs, investments in research and development projects and commercial initiatives, and advancing space science research and exploration.
A qualitative leap
On September 25, 2019, there was a quantum leap in this march, after the rise of Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station, in a historic journey that will remain immortal in the history of the Emirates, and an introduction to achieving qualitative achievements with the arms and minds of its creative youth, and with ambitious initiatives and projects, competing with it Time toward the top. And His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, expressed the importance of this achievement in a tweet that His Highness posted on the same day on his official account on Twitter: “More than two years ago, my brother Mohammed bin Zayed and I launched the Emirates Astronaut Program, and today we celebrate the launch of the first astronaut in A historic mission to the International Space Station, an Emirati achievement that we are proud of and dedicated to the Arab and Islamic nations. ” Announcing: “Our next stop is Mars, through the (Probe of Hope), which our youth have so ably designed.” Al-Mansouri conducted a number of scientific experiments, including six on-board experiments in the Microgravity environment, to study the interaction of vital signs of the human body in space, compared to experiments conducted on the surface of the earth, as well as indicators of bone state, disorders of motor activity, perception and time perception at Astronaut, fluid dynamics in space, and the impact of living in space on humans.
This trip came within the "Emirates Astronauts Program", which is supervised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, and it is the first program in the Arab region that works to prepare national cadres participating in space trips, and helps in improving human lives on the surface of the earth, where His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the National Space Program, in April 2017, to prepare Emirati astronauts, and includes a plan for 100 years, aimed at building the first human settlement on The Red Planet by 2117, and the arrival of the Emirati “Probe of Hope” to Mars in 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Emirates. Whereas, in October 2019, the Emirates Space Agency announced the details of the “National Space Sector Strategy 2030”, which completes the regulatory and legislative framework for the national space sector, along with the national plan, to enhance space investment.
"Probe of Hope"
Today, the "probe of hope" comes, to represent a new leap towards the realization of the dream of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for the Emirates to become one of only nine countries that aspire to explore Mars with the first Arab and Islamic probe, to be managed and executed by a team of the homeland. With the completion of the “Probe of Hope”, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed in the Palace of Abu Dhabi last January the last piece of the probe, which bears the names of His Highnesses members of the Supreme Council of the Union The rulers of the Emirates, and the signatures of their highness, along with the signatures of His Highness the Crown Prince, and are adorned with the phrase: "The power of hope shortens the distance between the earth and the sky."
Khalifa Sat
In October 2018, the UAE launched the Khalifa Sat satellite, which is the first Arab satellite made with 100% local hands, and which was considered at that time a historic achievement that contributed to strengthening the position of the UAE in the space science sector worldwide. And it took the manufacture of "Khalifa Sat" four years of preparation, preparation and training for a working team from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, and worked on building it 70 Emirati engineers, ages between 27 and 28 years.
Geniuses of the Arab space
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced on July 4, through his account on Twitter, the launch of the "Arab Genius" program, the first of its kind in the Arab world, to embrace and sponsor a distinguished group of Arab talents and geniuses, and their training and qualification in space science and technology, and the program received about 9705 registration requests only 48 hours after its launch.
Space law
In February 2020, the UAE announced the details of the first space law of its kind at the Arab and Islamic levels, which carries 10 examples of new and emerging space domains, including launching from space, space tourism and owning and using space resources and dealing with space debris and meteorite stones, and the UAE space law has become a reference For countries considering issuing a similar law, as it includes activities that are relatively recent and not covered by other international laws and future activities, the UAE intends to develop the appropriate infrastructure in the future. The law includes details of new space activities and areas, such as sub-orbital flights, building settlements and human installations in space, launching from space, and the process of re-entering space objects.
"Memory of the Nation"
A weekly page presented by «Emirates Today», in cooperation with the National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, with the aim of introducing the life in the Emirates before the union, and during its early beginnings, and the great effort made by the founding fathers of the state to establish it, and link it with the achievements of the leaders of the Emirates today And her sons are achievements of the world.
Sheikh Zayed believed the importance of the Arabs having their presence in the space field, to continue what Arab scholars began in the past.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emirates Foundation for Advanced Science and Technology, was established to promote space science.
2014
The Emirates Space Agency was established.