UAE plans second human space mission in 2023
Minister of Space, Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has described India as a key Global Player in the Space sector and has assured of Indian cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.
Dr Jitendra Singh said he is confident that the Abu Dhabi Space Debate will grow in stature in the coming years and become a pre-eminent platform for discussions in space related matters and take India-UAE space cooperation into an entirely different and much higher spatial orbit.
The Minister, who led the Indian delegation to “Abu Dhabi Space Debate” on 5 Dec 2022, congratulated the UAE for planning its second human space mission next year by sending four astronauts in space for six months.
The launch of Rashid Rover, UAE’s Moon Mission in the near future, and creation of the Space fund are milestones which reflect the commitments and determination of the UAE to excel in the Space sector, he noted.
The Minister pointed out that India’s active space partnership with the UAE dates back to 2017, “when our PSLV launched UAE’s first nanosatellite – ‘Nayif-1’ meant for collecting environmental space data”.
The Space sector development is one of the priority areas for the leaders of both India and the UAE, he highlighted.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, “The indigenously developed Space sector of India and the fast-growing Space sector of the UAE have a lot of complementariness that can be harnessed.
“If we want to ensure that the Space remains a sector to serve our shared humanity, it is important to bring all the stakeholders together to discuss and deliberate about the Space and, in this regard, this platform has the potential to shape the future of the Space sector.
He also said India is keenly promoting development of start-ups in the space sector to facilitate the entry of foreign governments and private companies.
He updated delegates at the two-day international meet, saying, “The Indian space industry today is renowned across the globe for two things – reliability and economy.” fiinews.com
