Dubai is clearly leading global innovation. The city has recently played host to the High Level Forum, the World Government Summit and the World Economic Forum providing examples of Dubai’s forward thinking and ambitious attitude. The UAE is fast becoming a hub for space and the government fully recognises the role that space and off-planet habitation will play in our futures. One of the initiatives that has been borne out of this ambition is the Dubai Future Foundation, which shape the future of the strategic sectors in cooperation with the government and private industry and one of their principal areas of focus is space. Torsten Kriening was lucky enough to spend some time with Dr. Noah Raford, Chief Operating Officer and Futurist-in-Chief of the Dubai Future Foundation.
Read More »Over 4000 Emiratis Volunteer for UAE Astronaut Selection
Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at MBRSC and Head of the Higher Committee of the UAE Astronaut Programme, also commented, “The UAE Astronaut Programme is a unique programme carefully crafted to establish the UAE as one of the frontrunners in the global race for space. Through this programme, we are hoping to inspire a new generation of Emirati nations through space exploration and innovation and enable them to contribute to the future of our great country.”
Read More »Senior UAE Economist Urges Arab World to Join BRI, Space Silk Road
Dr. Nasser Saidi, one of the Middle East's preeminent economists and a former government minister for economics and finance in Lebanon, has said that Arab countries should embrace China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to include participation in and contributions to China's Tiangong space station as well as the Space and Digital Silk Roads.
Read More »UAE’s Thuraya Launches X5-Touch, World’s Smallest Satellite Phone
UAE’s Thuraya Telecommunications Company has announced the launch of its X5-Touch satellite phone, the world’s smallest, in its attempt to become a market leader in the satellite communications user market.
Read More »Welcome to SpaceWatch Russia & CIS
Russia and other independent republics of the former Soviet Union enjoy a proud and impressive space heritage, from Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin to the Mir Space Station and the unparalleled launch record of Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Read More »Middle East Satellite TV Geopolitics: Saudi-Owned MBC Pulls All Turkish Programming Off the Air
In a move that has confounded industry executives and frustrated millions of Arab satellite television viewers across the Middle East and North Africa, Saudi-owned satellite television broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) has pulled all Turkish programming from its channels as of 0100 Mecca Time, on Friday, 2 March, 2018. …
Read More »UAE’s MBRSC Extends Astronaut Application Deadline Until End of March 2018
The United Arab Emirate’s Dubai-based Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has announced the extension by a month of the registration deadline for the UAE Astronaut Programme until 31 March, 2018. This development “aims to optimize entries to the programme as well as allow the space centre time to process …
Read More »MBR Space Settlement Challenge Fund Launches On Guaana Platform
Open research funding platform Guaana piloted its fund distribution platform in partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Settlement Challenge fund (2,000,000 AED, approximately U.S.$540,000) will be distributed as seed grants for all areas of research that explore bold ideas and radical solutions for living …
Read More »UAE Space Agency Signs Memorandum of Understanding with France’s CNES for Climate Change Observatory
Further details have emerged about the content of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the UAE Space Agency and the French space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, on 12 February, 2018. The MoU was signed by H.E. Dr. …
Read More »UAE’s KhalifaSat Earth Observation Satellite Nears Completion, Receives Royal Seal of Approval
The first satellite to be indigenously built by Emirati engineers is nearing completion, and will be launched by Japan later this year. KhalifaSat, an Earth observation satellite that is being built by the Dubai-based Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), was inspected by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, …
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