UAE Space Agency is looking at greater collaboration in all space-related fields with Hungary and Estonia.
UAE Space Agency recently met with delegations from Hungary and the Republic of Estonia to strengthen cooperation in the global space industry by exploring spatial research, earth surveillance, astronautic activities, and the transfer of space-related technologies together. The meetings took place during Expo 2020 Dubais Space Week, held in association with the UAE Space Agency.
Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director-General of UAE Space Agency, met with Dr Orsolya Ferencz, Hungary’s Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research at the Hungarian pavilion and Kristi Talving, Deputy Secretary-General for Business and Consumer Environment, Estonias Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications at the Estonian pavilion.
The officials discussed a wide range of issues including Hungarys ambition to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2024, the European countrys plan to launch a scientific satellite into space and develop an onboard measurement system that will be installed on the ISS.
Meanwhile, the delegations from the UAE and Estonia explored the opportunities to strengthen ties across science, technology, engineering and mathematics and facilitating new growth partnerships between the public and private sector with the aim of driving forward economic growth and human progress.
Speaking about the partnership with Estonia, Al Qubais said: Estonia and the UAE have an important bilateral relationship that is taking on a new dimension as we enhance collaboration in all space-related fields. There are great opportunities for enhanced cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the fourth industrial revolution, outer space research, satellite production and the expansion of entrepreneurship and private enterprise. Our meeting provided a constructive platform to build on our shared ties as we create a competitive, innovation-driven economy for the next 50 years.
Estonia, a member of the European Space Agency since 2015, took a giant leap forward in the industry this year. On January 11 it was announced that Estonia would provide stereo cameras to Maxar Technologies for NASAs Artemis lunar programme. The cameras will provide an important part of a major new mission to send humans back to the Moon in 2024 and one day establish a lunar settlement.
The UAE recently announced a new mission to explore Venus and an asteroid belt between Venus and Mars. Scheduled to launch in 2028, the 3.6bn-kilometre journey into deep space will test the scientific and technical capabilities of the UAE. The Asteroid Belt is a torus-shaped region in the solar system believed to have been formed more than 4bn years ago. It includes a galactic trove of valuable objectives, including small spatial rocks to massive asteroids that are one third the size of the moon.
Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi explained that the new mission will support the creation of Emirati aerospace companies, develop new talent and enhance cooperation with global research centres as part of the UAEs vision to promote growth and human progress for the next 50 years.
