Abu Dhabi to host space conference to strengthen cooperation, advance sector

Abu Dhabi will host a space conference in December this year to facilitate dialogue and address key issues in the sector.

The Abu Dhabi Space Debate is set to take place on December 5-6 and will be organised by the UAE Space Agency. The two-day event will serve as a platform for leaders and policymakers from the space sector to review opportunities and challenges facing the industry. It will also aim to advance global dialogue and collaboration between nations as well as forge concrete alliances and provide a platform to advance the sector as a whole.

The UAE is proud to be hosting the Abu Dhabi Space Debate in December. The event is a platform to facilitate dialogue and aims to strengthen cooperation, formulate new international policies and develop solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the global space sector.

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) September 7, 2022

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, “The UAE is proud to be hosting the Abu Dhabi Space Debate in December. The event is a platform to facilitate dialogue and aims to strengthen cooperation, formulate new international policies and develop solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the global space sector.”

The first edition of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate is set to gather stakeholders across public and private space sectors from around the world and in particular from China, Europe, India, Korea, the UK and the US.

“We are seeing a huge expansion in organisations developing space capabilities and potential, but that growth in the sector brings challenges, ranging from preservation of national interests through to the regulation of private sector players,” Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, chair of the UAE Space Agency and the Abu Dhabi Space Debate Committee, said.

“The Abu Dhabi Space Debate aims to create a global platform that will bring together a diverse and challenging audience and forge concrete progress in advancing international co-operation, standards and policy-setting for the space sector.”

Recognizing the importance of an inclusive global dialogue to drive change, the Abu Dhabi Space Debate will create opportunities for global leaders to address the most pressing challenges facing the sustainability and future of the international space industry.

— Sarah Al Amiri (@SarahAmiri1) September 7, 2022

“As we implement our long-term ambitions in space, the first steps of which are clearly outlined in our National Space Strategy 2030, we cannot over-emphasise the importance of international collaboration to our plans. Our space programme has been built on such collaboration, with partners in Europe, South Korea, the US, Japan and elsewhere,” Al Amiri noted.

The UAE’s space sector have made significant strides, with the country operating 19 Earth-orbiting satellites with additional ten satellites under development. It also became the first Arab country to launch a space mission to Mars last year.

Read: Live: UAE Mars Mission – Hope Probe enters Mars orbit successfully

In October of 2021, the UAE also launched a new space mission to explore Venus and seven other asteroids in the solar system.

Read more: UAE launches new space mission to explore Venus