UAE to help build first lunar space station, send astronaut to Moon’s orbit

UAE to help build first lunar space station, send astronaut to Moon’s orbit

Photos: Sheikh Mohammed— @HHShkMohd/X

Published: Sun 7 Jan 2024, 5:49 PM Last updated: Sun 7 Jan 2024, 10:46 PM

The UAE will be part of a global project to build and launch the first space station around the Moon. The country’s space engineers will build a 10-tonne ‘Crew and Science’ airlock, which will serve as the entry and exit point for astronauts on the Lunar Gateway.

The first two modules of the small multi-purpose outpost orbiting the Moon are expected to launch in 2025. The Emirates Module is expected to launch in 2030.

The UAE will also send the first Arab and Emirati astronaut to the Moon’s orbit as part of the project. Under the agreement signed between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Nasa, a UAE astronaut will “fly to the lunar space station on a future Artemis mission”.

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Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the “journey to the Moon” will happen “upon the project’s completion in 2030”.

UAE-built airlock

The MBRSC will be responsible for designing, developing, and operating the Emirates Airlock. A critical component, the 10X4-metre unit serves as the point through which astronauts