“The National Space Fund” created to support UAE space sector

UAE has launched an AED 3 million fund ($816.84 million) to support its space industry and to create radar satellites. Calling it ‘The National Space Fund’, Dubai ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed said that the fund aims to support the establishment of national companies in the space sector and boost national strategic and research projects.

The Fund’s first project to be launched to space will be the development and launch of a constellation of advanced imaging satellites for the Emirates, using the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology. Named “Sirb” after the Arabic term for a flock of birds, the satellite will help tackle the global challenges of the present.

As it is using SARs technology, the satellite will address the need for better environmental and land usage monitoring, data collection and analysis. SAR technology combines the power of imaging satellites with cloud and ground penetrating capabilities that will open up applications from urban planning to archaeology and from weather prediction to atmospheric quality analysis and climate change mapping

Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency said “A long-term plan and programme for the development of the Emirates’ space sector is in place to create economic opportunities, new jobs and help to fund global partnerships and new leaders in technology, space sciences and engineering here in the UAE.

The fund will bring opportunities for building international cooperation in building Emirati enterprises, motivating partnerships between international and local enterprises which will receive incentives as part of the UAE Space Agency’s Space Economic Zones Programme.

Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said, “The National Space Fund will encourage global partnerships to establish themselves here in the Emirates, providing new and vital technology platforms and development to answer the needs of the UAE Space Programme and other global customers for vital innovation and technologies that answer the needs and possibilities of today’s world.”