From his president, Mohammed bin Zayed, and his inspiration, Mohammed bin Rashid… he will not know the impossible

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Supreme Space Council, chaired the first meeting of the Council, during which His Highness was briefed on the economic achievements of the national space sector over the past years, and what it has contributed to achieving results. A quality that made it the most advanced sector in the region.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The national space sector is witnessing continuous development, and we are proud of our journey and the exceptional achievements we have achieved over the past years, which today constitute a basic pillar of innovation and scientific progress in the UAE.”

His Highness added: “The UAE space sector has witnessed a comprehensive qualitative leap and rapid growth in a record period, so that we continue to provide a unique model of development and sustainability of success, as the state’s investments in the sector amounted to 40 billion dirhams over the past years, and the percentage of spending on research and development of space exploration projects increased by 14.8%, compared to last year, and the annual growth rate of the number of companies operating in this field in the country reached 29%, while the percentage of private sector financing and investments in space reached 44.3%, which indicates the growing role of the private sector in the space sector.”

His Highness said: “Today we have five national projects to explore the moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt, and qualified personnel to lead the most difficult scientific missions. We are committed to ambitious programs for space exploration, and our goal in the next phase is to provide more support to the sector by enhancing integration between the government and private sectors, which contributes to “Advancing the wheel of innovation and achieving our future aspirations in the coming years.”

His Highness said in a blog post on the “X” platform yesterday: “During our presidency of the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council, we discussed national investments and upcoming projects in the space sector, which is witnessing continuous development… We renewed our commitment to supporting and continuing the implementation of ambitious programs to explore outer space, as the volume of investments reached… In this sector, it reached 40 billion dirhams over the past years.

His Highness added: “I say to our people, whose president is Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and whose inspiration is Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum… will not know the impossible.”

His Highness continued: “We are proud that we are a country that set off from the desert on a journey that took us to the moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt, and our country continues to soar in spaces of leadership and our ambitions are without limits.”

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the Minister of Sports, Secretary General of the Supreme Space Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Space Agency, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, the Minister of Economy, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, and the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Advisor to the President of the State for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology, Faisal Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Bannai, Vice President of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Lieutenant General Talal Humaid Belhoul, and Undersecretary Assistant for Support and Defense Industries at the Ministry of Defence, Major General Mubarak Saeed bin Ghafan Al Jabri.

Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi stressed that the Supreme Space Council is keen to integrate efforts to enhance an advanced national work system that supports achieving the desired goals, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

He said: “This thriving sector reflects the UAE’s commitment to developing human resources and qualifying them to lead the future in the fields of space, in addition to creating an integrated environment that enhances cooperation between all actors.”

He added: “The Supreme Council is focusing on building flexible and attractive regulatory frameworks for local, regional and global investments, which contributes to supporting innovation and enhancing the competitiveness of the national space sector at all levels,” noting the importance of cooperation and joint work between all parties in this vital sector, to accelerate the pace of growth. Achieving a comprehensive development renaissance based on the knowledge and innovation economy.

During the meeting, the role of the private sector as a partner in the development process was discussed, confirming the success of the efforts made through the programs and projects launched over the previous phase to support and stimulate the national space economy, the most prominent of which is the “Economic Space Zones Programme,” which includes more than 200 private companies as members. It aims to support emerging, small and medium-sized companies in this field, by providing economic initiatives and incentives in cooperation with various partners in the country.

The meeting also discussed the UAE’s efforts to develop knowledge and international contributions in the field of space, to be the first in the world with a project aimed at achieving a journey around the asteroid belt, and the first in the Arab world with a mission to the moon, and with a project within the Artemis program, which are the results of continuous support for research and development efforts in the country.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was briefed on the space programs that will be launched in the next stage, including: the “Thuraya 4” satellite of the “Space 42” company, which will be launched this December, in addition to the “Mohammed bin Zayed” satellite. Sat, which is being developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and will be launched next January.

The meeting included a review of a number of presentations submitted by sectors supporting the space sector, including the plan of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, which addressed the strategic axes and its future goals to strengthen the space sector, in addition to highlighting the developments in the space and defense economy, the economic opportunities and challenges facing the sector and ways to develop it. In line with national priorities, the space acquisition plan and programs were also reviewed, which focused on future plans to enhance the acquisition and develop the country’s space capabilities.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center gave a presentation on the latest developments in the astronauts program and the Lunar Gateway, during which it explained the progress made in the program and the efforts made to achieve the main goals of the national space initiatives.

Space 42 gave a presentation on the developments and programs of the private sector, especially after the completion of the merger between Bayanat and Yahsat, and future plans to strengthen the partnership between the government and private sectors in the field of space, in a way that supports improving revenues and enhancing opportunities to achieve more. Growth and innovation.

. 200 private companies in the “Economic Space Zones Program.”

. 40 billion dirhams state investments in the space sector.

Hamdan bin Mohammed:

. We have five national projects to explore the moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt, and qualified personnel to lead the most difficult scientific missions.

. Our goal in the next phase is to provide more support to the space sector, by enhancing integration between the government and private sectors.

. We are proud that we are a country that set out from the desert on a journey that took us to the moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt, and our country continues to soar in pioneering spaces.