In 2024, the UAE marked a significant milestone in its space exploration journey by joining forces with the US, Japan, Canada, and the European Union in the Lunar Gateway project, enhancing its already impressive record in space endeavors.
This initiative underscores the UAE’s commitment to building upon its past space achievements through a series of ambitious programs and missions, thereby reinforcing its status as a leader in the field.
The UAE’s participation in this major 21st-century international endeavor not only demonstrates its dedication to fostering global cooperation in space for the benefit of humanity and the pursuit of progress and prosperity, but it also reflects its trust in the capabilities of Emirati talent to contribute significantly to challenging international scientific projects.
This project signifies a major leap in humankind’s return to the moon after more than fifty years, aiming to achieve lunar surface landing and establish a foundation for subsequent missions to Mars. The UAE will manage the station’s Crew and Science Airlock module for up to 15 years, with potential extensions.
The UAE’s permanent involvement in this extensive lunar and space exploration program will also place it among the first nations to send an astronaut to the moon, ensuring privileged access to scientific and engineering data from the station.
The UAE’s lunar exploration endeavors began in September 2020 with the announcement of its first Arab scientific mission to the moon, involving the development and launch of the Emirati lunar rover “Rashid”. In April of the previous year, the rover entered lunar orbit and neared the surface before communication was lost with the landing vehicle.
Following this, the UAE promptly launched a new mission through the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), known as “Rashid 2”. This mission built upon the successful design and construction of “Rashid 1”, the first Emirati and Arab vehicle to enter lunar orbit.
2024 also sees the launch of “MBZ-SAT“, the second satellite entirely developed by Emirati engineers following “KhalifaSAT“. MBZ-SAT, representing significant technological progress, is set to provide advanced services, ranking among the world’s most sophisticated satellites.
The MBZ-SAT project, the fourth Earth observation satellite, stands out for its ability to rapidly deliver high-precision data, enabling beneficiaries to autonomously request and receive desired images directly, quickly, and continuously, without human intervention.
Emirati astronauts Mohammed Al Mulla and Nora Al Matrooshi are expected to complete their training this year, emerging as fully qualified for missions. They are part of the second group of the UAE Astronaut Programme and were chosen alongside ten NASA astronauts for the 2021 NASA Astronaut Programme.
Throughout 2024, the UAE will persist in advancing a series of ambitious space projects, notably the “Sarb” radar satellite development project and a 13-year asteroid belt exploration mission. This project involves six years of development and seven years of exploration. The Emirati spacecraft, “MBR Explorer 5″, is set to travel over a billion kilometers, passing by Mars to study seven asteroids and land on the last one by 2034.
