50% of it was provided by the private sector

22 billion dirhams, the volume of spending in the space sector in the Emirates

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Sarah Al-Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the Emirates Space Agency, stated that the UAE aims to develop the capabilities of its youth to start their projects in the field of space, to complement the vision of the country's leadership, and to complement the leadership's support for the space sector as one of the main sectors in the country's economy, noting that the volume of spending In the UAE space sector, it has exceeded 22 billion dirhams, during the past few years, of which 50% is from the private sector.

This came during a virtual session, yesterday, on investment opportunities in the space sector and the prospects for promoting and developing advanced technologies and accompanying innovations, as part of a series of dialogue sessions held to introduce the initiatives of the "50 projects" launched by the UAE, in conjunction with the announcement of its new space project to explore the planet Venus and the asteroid belt in the solar system, on a journey of 3.6 billion kilometers in deep space, requires the development of advanced technologies, exceptional innovations, a package of creative solutions, and innovative designs, to achieve the ambitious goal of this fourth mission of its kind globally.

The session was attended by the Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Space Agency, the CEO of the National Space Science Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Asiri, and the CEO of Al Yah Satellite Communications Group (Yahsat), Ali Al-Hashimi.

The session focused on the qualitative opportunities that the UAE provides for talents, minds, emerging projects, and private sector companies specializing in space technologies, industries and research, in addition to discussing prospects for bilateral cooperation between the UAE and Bahrain.

Al Amiri added that the UAE project to explore the planet Venus and the asteroid belt within the solar system, which was announced by the leadership of the UAE on the fifth of October 2021, is a historic station in the UAE space sector, and will constitute a qualitative incentive to attract local, regional and global investments, specialized in advanced technology related to space industries. To the UAE, which supports the consolidation of its position as a platform for promising emerging projects in space technologies, and a destination for promising minds, competencies and talents, specialized in space software, science and innovations.

She stressed the importance of the momentum generated by the new project in sustaining growth in the industries, innovations and space technologies sector, which opens the door to promising investments in this field in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, which will reflect positively on the growth of various economic sectors, noting that the challenge is always rising in UAE.

She pointed to the importance of the role of young cadres specialized in the space sector in enticing school and university students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and stimulating their scientific passion and knowledge, stressing that the state, with all its institutions, worked as one team to succeed in the challenge of the space project to explore Mars, which successfully brought the "Probe of Hope" to Mars. This stimulated new generations to enter the fields of research, development and advanced technology.

She added that space technologies and sciences are an important pillar in improving the quality of life in future cities and societies, in the world and in the region in particular, by benefiting from the scientific, knowledge and technical output accomplished by engineers, scientists and innovators in the ambitious space projects launched by the UAE, and putting its scientific and research results within the reach of society. Global scientific service for humanity.

For his part, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Asiri stated that the beginning in the Bahraini space sector was to focus on the human element, indicating that a large part of the "Bahrain Space Team" was rehabilitated at prestigious Emirati universities such as Khalifa University.

He stressed that Bahrain possesses a stock of advanced scientific competencies that can supply the space sector in the Kingdom and the region with promising ideas that establish qualitative investments in space industries, technologies and programs, noting that Bahrain's hosting of the World Space Week event, early October, confirms its keenness to invest in the future of this The vital sector and its new opportunities.

Ali Al Hashimi said: “The UAE currently owns more than 17 orbiting satellites, and 10 others are under development, and it has more than 50 companies, institutions and space facilities operating within the country from international and emerging companies, and we look forward to seeing these numbers multiply many times over the few years. The future, especially with the announcement of the UAE project to explore Venus and the asteroid belt, which will carry out unprecedented scientific missions over a period of five years from 2028 to 2033.”

promising opportunities

During the session, Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Al Yah Satellite Communications Group (Yahsat), pointed to the promising opportunities for cooperation in the field of space technology and satellites among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in conjunction with the development projects and the ambitious strategic visions that they are implementing, which are positively reflected on the investment landscape and the growth of Partnerships with the private sector in new paths, including the sectors of space, advanced technology, and the Internet of Things, which opens a great field for future investors, as well as the development of advanced infrastructures for innovation in the field of communications.

• The Emirates includes more than 50 local and international companies specialized in space industries and technologies.

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