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UAE’s journey to reaching for the stars

The UAE is now the fifth country in the world and first Arab nation to have successfully reached Mars.

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known,” said American astronomer Carl Sagan. Scientific curiosity and resilience have been behind some of the most defining human endeavours and achievements. This commitment has also fuelled the UAE’s space dreams. Last year, as the course of our lives changed because of the pandemic, the seeds of hope were sown as the UAE announced the launch of its first interplanetary exploration Hope Probe. Yesterday, hope gave birth to possibility, as the probe entered the Martian atmosphere after nail-biting 27 minutes of insertion stage which makes or breaks a Mars mission. The UAE’s dreams stood fulfilled as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the mission had been accomplished. The UAE is now the fifth country in the world and first Arab nation to have successfully reached Mars. What began as a new chapter for the country has already turned into history in the making, as Hope explores the Red Planet.

Astronomy is not new to the Arab world, rather it has been seeped into its culture as generations prior to ours relied upon it to navigate the deserts. What was once a tool to facilitate movement transformed into a dream when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan welcomed a Nasa delegation, comprising Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt in 1976. It is said that the founder of the UAE was presented a piece of Moon rock that the astronauts had collected as a souvenir. It has taken the visionary leadership of the country to turn that dream into reality in less than 50 years, with the UAE having already launched a number of satellites, sent its first astronaut to space and successfully reached the Martian orbit.

The UAE’s foray into Mars is a success story of inclusivity too, where hundreds of Emirati youth — men and women — have collaborated to bring to life the dream that was Hope. Today, they not only feel encouraged to study astronomy and be part of the success story that is the UAE’s space sector, a significant number of young Emirati women have also applied for the astronaut programme. Hope has not only cemented that ambition, but also proven that the country’s goals are far-reaching, and it will not leave any stone unturned to fulfil them.

Today, space is not a site of conquest. Rather, it is a unifying force. It demands we study, research, innovate and collaborate. Exploring space is exploring a world of possibilities. With Hope, the UAE’s journey to reaching for the stars has just begun.