Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday announced its ambitious plan to send first Emirati and Arab astronaut to the Moon’s orbit on a future Artemis mission.
The UAE has declared it will participate in Nasa’s Lunar Gateway Station along with the US, Japan, Canada and the European Union, Siasat reported.
The announcement came on Sunday alongside signing of an agreement between Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Nasa to develop an airlock module for the lunar Gateway.
The UAE will set up in the nation one facility for astronaut training and another for operations at the lunar station.
The country will have to supply the crew and science airlock for the lunar space station.
The initial components for the Gateway are expected to be launched by 2025, whereas the Emirates Airlock will be launched by 2030.
‘In the UAE, we began the new year with remarkable projects. Today, I joined President of the UAE in announcing our participation in a global scientific endeavour to construct a lunar space station, in collaboration with the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Union,’ Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said on X.
Sheikh Mohammed added that the lunar space station will serve as a vital platform for launching missions to Mars, as well as marking the humanity’s return to the moon.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson posted on X, ‘Today, we announced the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre will provide the Crew and Science Airlock for NASA Gateway, humanity’s first space station that will orbit the Moon. This is an exciting moment for international collaboration in the cosmos and the future of human space exploration.’