UAE launches space programme for youth

Our Correpondent

With just days to go for the UAE’s landmark mission to Mars, the country has launched a new space training programme for the next generation of Arab astronomers and scientists.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced a three-year programme called Arab Space Pioneers.
Participants will be granted a fully covered residency in the country; world-class training in space science and technology; and an opportunity to build advanced satellites in the UAE. There will also be scholarships and other financial incentives.
The Arab youth will then be given an opportunity to join teams of Emirati researchers, engineers, and experts in various space projects.
Candidates with a passion for space science and a scientific background can apply on the website ArabsToSpace.com. Applications will be evaluated based on qualifications and achievements in research and science.
Arab Space Pioneers was introduced in the run-up to the historic lift-off of the UAE’s Hope Probe — the first Arab mission to Mars — on July 15.
On his Twitter account, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “In the coming days, the UAE will launch the Hope Probe to Mars, the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. And today, we are launching a programme to invite Arab youth to gain expertise in space technologies in the UAE.
We strive to prepare the next generation of Arab astronomers and space scientists as part of our wider mission to revive the Arab civilisation’s status in the scientific sphere.”
To be supervised by the UAE Space Agency, the programme will help young Arab researchers, scientists and inventors and creative talents practice their passion of discovering the universe and eventually expand their career prospects in the region’s rising space sector.
The intensive programme combines theoretical and hands-on practical training that will see young Arab talents take part in the UAE Space Agency’s projects.
Overall, it seeks to support the growth of the region’s space industry by ensuring it has the pool of young Arab experts and specialists for its next landmark missions to explore the cosmos.