Guardians of the outer space

Guardians of the outer space

The UAE — an established space power — has been chosen to lead the United Nations committee working to promote the peaceful use of outer space. The decision comes as no surprise given the country’s sustained focus on space. The UAE continues to invest in its people and resources when it comes to outer space. The vision to go to Mars was laid back in 2006, with the UAE establishing a knowledge transfer programme to achieve the feat. Once accomplished, the UAE will be among the first nations in the world to study and send manned missions to the Red Planet in future. Currently, the UAE’s elevation to the chair of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, with Omran Sharaf — the Emirati engineer who led the successful Mars mission — serving as the committee’s director for 2022 and next year, is an acknowledgement of the nation’s innovation and ambition. The committee, in operation since 1959, is one of the largest at the UN. With 100 member states, it plays a key role in peaceful uses of space, encouraging international cooperation and recommending laws and policies that support space exploration. Hailing UAE’e election to the chair