Space: the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia want to think bigger

For the first time, Saudi Arabia will send a woman and a man to the International Space Station (ISS) in the second quarter of this year via REUTERS - ROSCOSMOS

Text by: Nicolas Keraudren Follow

3 mins

For the first time, Saudi Arabia is preparing to send a woman and a man to the International Space Station (ISS) who would join another Arab astronaut, from the neighboring country of the United Arab Emirates.

In the Gulf region, the conquest of space has become an important issue, synonymous with economic diversification.

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From our correspondent in Abu Dhabi,

“

”.

It is with these words that Dr. Mohammed Bin Saud al-Tamimi, head of the Saudi Space Commission, qualified the sending of two nationals of the kingdom to the International Space Station.

During the second quarter of 2023, the Saudis Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali al-Qarni should indeed join the crew of the AX-2 space mission aboard the ISS.

The spaceflight is expected to be launched from the United States.

"

," the official SPA news agency reported.

But also to "

".

And above all “

”.

Diversify its economy and restore its austere image

This achievement is also part of the kingdom's "Vision 2030" launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,

leader of the country and son of King Salman, more than five years ago.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude oil, which still largely depends on its oil revenues, is indeed seeking to diversify its economy.

And also to restore its austere image as the country faces

.

Even though Saudi Arabia has already sent the first Arab and Muslim astronaut in history into space in 1985, its space program is one of the new ways to achieve these goals.

It was only at the end of 2018 that the Saudi Space Commission was created by royal decree.

Since then, colossal investments in this area have been made.

In 2020, the kingdom for example planned an increase of 8 billion riyals (i.e. more than 2 billion dollars) for its space program by 2030. The kingdom therefore aims to become a major space power.

In the same way as its neighbor and powerful ally in the Gulf: the United Arab Emirates.

New field of rivalry between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi

But in this area, Abu Dhabi has a head start.

On February 26, the Emirati Sultan al-Neyadi should also take off aboard a SpaceX spacecraft to the ISS for a six-month mission.

In 2019, another Emirati, Hazzaa al-Mansoori, had already flown into space for an eight-day mission aboard the Station.

He was then the first citizen of the country to travel in space.

Two years later, the authorities of the Gulf monarchy also launched the “al-Amal” (“hope” in French) mission.

The UAE space probe was then placed in orbit around the planet Mars.

This is designed to provide images of the Red Planet to better understand its atmosphere and climate.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates also launched the Arab world's first mission to the moon, sending a rover there.

In the Gulf, the conquest of space could therefore become a new field of rivalry between major economic powers.

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