Emirates Space Agency

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The Emirates Space Agency ( Arabic وكالة الإمارات للفضاء, DMG Wikālat ul-Imārāt lil-Faḍāʾ ), also known abroad under the abbreviation “UAESA” because of the English name United Arab Emirates Space Agency , is a federal agency of the United Arab Emirates with headquarters in Madina Khalifa, Emirate of Abu Dhabi . Your task is to approve the space activities of the individual emirates (primarily Abu Dhabi / Yahsat and Dubai / MBRSC ). For politically wanted projects such as Dubai's Mars probe al-Amal , the UAESA acts as an organizer to the outside world. Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul al-Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium -Sized Enterprises, has headed the agency since 2017 .

history

Abu Dhabi

Chalifa bin Zayed an-Nahyan

After the founding of the United Arab Emirates on December 2, 1971, Zayid bin Sultan an-Nahyan , Emir of Abu Dhabi and first President of the UAE, showed an early interest in Western space travel and met with representatives of those responsible for the moon landings at NASA Department. Then nothing happened for a long time until the Thuraya Communications Company was founded in Abu Dhabi on April 15, 1997. Between 2000 and 2008, via the Swiss Sea Launch SA, with Ukrainian launch vehicles of the Zenit-3SL type, a total of three 5-tonne Boeing launchers built communication satellites (Thuraya 1, 2, and 3) placed in geosynchronous orbits .

In January 2007, Chalifa bin Zayid an-Nahyan , Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates since his father's death on November 2, 2004, founded the Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) through the state-owned Mubadala Development Company . The Yahsat again awarded a contract to a European consortium of August 2007 Astrium and Thales Alenia Space , based on the satellite bus Euro Star 3000 to develop Astrium two communications satellites for Internet services and television. Both satellites were built in Europe. YahSat 1A was April 22, 2011 with a carrier rocket of the type Ariane 5 ECA from the Guiana Space Center started from, YahSat 1B on 23 April 2012 with Proton-M from Baikonur Cosmodrome . On August 5, 2018, Yahsat took over the majority in Thuraya Communications Company, which now continues to exist as Yahsat's mobile communications division.

Dubai

Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktum

On January 4, 2006, after the death of his eldest brother , Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktum became Emir of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE. One month later, on February 6, 2006, he founded the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), contrary to what the name suggests, not an initiative of the United Arab Emirates, but only of Dubai. Accordingly, the first called by the EIAST on 29 July 2009 with a Ukrainian carrier rocket of the type Dnepr from Baikonur Cosmodrome launched by the South Korean Satrec initiative GmbH in Daejeon built Earth observation satellite " dubaisat-1 ". The DubaiSat 2, also built by Satrec, followed on November 21, 2013 .

Sharjah

On 26 April 2000 had Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi , the Emir of Sharjah , the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) established that although headquartered in Sharjah has, but with panarabischem occurs claim and an office in the southeast of Cairo maintains . In October 2008, the ASTF proposed the establishment of a Pan-Arab Space Agency in which all countries in North Africa and the Middle East should be able to participate, comparable to the European Space Agency . Although several countries initially indicated their support after discussions in the Arab League , the discussions that dragged on for many years ultimately led to no result. The political and cultural differences between the individual states in the region were simply too great. For example, the European-influenced Lebanon and the conservative Saudi Arabia could not agree on common guidelines for family-friendly satellite television.

United Arab Emirates

Negotiations about a Pan-Arab Space Agency continued, but by 2014 it was widely recognized that this was an unrealistic project. At this point in time, there was already the Agence Spatiale Algérienne in North Africa , the Center Royal de Télédétection Spatiale in Morocco and the Center national de la cartographie et de la télédétection in Tunisia , with Algeria and Morocco having their own satellites in orbit. Abu Dhabi and Dubai, like these countries, did not have their own space industry or launch sites, but they did have a lot of money, and in Dubai there were already plans to build a final assembly facility for satellites (later the Muhammad-bin-Raschid- Space center ). On July 16, 2014, the government of the United Arab Emirates announced the establishment of a national space agency to oversee the Mars mission known today as " al-Amal ". Although the agency was not officially established until three weeks later, it is now considered the foundation day of the Emirates space agency. On July 19, 2014, the first meeting of a working group took place under the leadership of Muhammad bin Raschid al-Maktum, which was supposed to work out the details of the space agency and the Mars mission. Finally, on August 6, 2014, Chalifa bin Zayid an-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, founded the United Arab Emirates' space agency with Federal Decree No. 1/2014. The headquarters of the agency should be in Abu Dhabi, with a branch in Dubai. The first head of the space agency was Major General Chalifa Muhammad Thani ar-Rumaithi, previously Head of the Department of Cartography of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates , and Major Muhammad Nasser al-Ahbabi, Telecommunications Officer and head of the MilSatCom project at Yahsat in Abu Dhabi, became Director General.

tasks

After the founding of the national space agency, the individual emirates started their civil communication and earth observation satellites on their own responsibility, military projects such as the reconnaissance satellites Falcon Eye 1 and Falcon Eye 2 were operated by the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates themselves. The agency's only project was the 2020 Mars mission, which was actually a company of the Emirate of Dubai, but the UAESA acted as an organizer and representative. The astronaut program in the United Arab Emirates, which was launched in 2017, is also running separately from the space agency , similar to that in China ; in the UAE, manned space travel is under the umbrella of the regulatory authority for telecommunications and is operated in practice from Dubai via the Muhammad bin Raschid space center .

The UAESA initially had no facilities of its own. On May 25, 2015, however, it was announced that a center for space research was to be built in al-Ain , in the far east of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with an investment of 100 million dirhams (around 25 million euros at the time). Originally, the center was to be located under the umbrella of the Muhammad bin Rashid Space Center. In the end, the facility, now called the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), was realized as a joint project of the space agency with the United Arab Emirates University and the regulatory authority for telecommunications. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in 2016, the first event on September 7, 2017. The director of the NSSTC was the power engineering engineer Khalid al-Hashimi, who was appointed head of the space science and technology department in the space missions department (see below) at the National Space Agency . 24 ° 11 ′ 45.8 "  N , 55 ° 40 ′ 56.2"  E

On March 19, 2019, another attempt was made to promote pan-Arab space travel. On the initiative of Muhammad bin Raschid al-Maktum, eleven countries joined forces on that day at a global space conference in Abu Dhabi to form the Arab Space Cooperation Group :

The first project of the group was to be developed, financed and under the leadership of the UAESA, the earth observation satellite "813". The number denotes the year in which Caliph al-Ma'mūn (786-833) came into power, who founded the " House of Wisdom ", a kind of academy of sciences, in Baghdad in 825 . In contrast to all other space projects in the United Arab Emirates, this satellite is to be developed, built and tested entirely in-house. For the first time, the national space agency is to take over not only the organizational but also - via the National Space Science and Technology Center - the technical management; for the Muhammad bin Raschid space center of the Emirate of Dubai only a supporting role is planned. The construction of the satellite 813 is to take place in the center for final assembly, integration of system components and verification of the functionality of satellites ( assembly, integration and testing or "AIT") in al-Ain, which was built there in cooperation with Airbus Defense and Space , financed by the Tawazun Economic Council , a United Arab Emirates fund to promote armaments projects .

Another long-term project of the NSSTC is a satellite navigation system that will make the United Arab Emirates independent of the US Global Positioning System . The first test satellite is to be launched in 2021, and another technically improved model in 2022. Template: future / in 2 years The first planning for this had already begun in 2018, after the successful start of the Mars probe al-Amal on July 19, 2020, the project was then upgraded.

In Federal Decree No. 1/2014 it was stipulated that the space agency of the Emirates should evaluate the national space policy every five years, or whenever the need arose, and make suggestions for improvements. This happened as planned in 2019. On December 19 of that year, Khalifa bin Zayed an-Nahyan signed Federal Law No. 12/2019, drawn up by the Emirates Space Agency, which gave it more powers and regulated the space sector more closely. All space activities, be it the launch of satellites, the provision of satellite-based services or the construction of facilities on the ground, now required a permit from the UAESA. The most important addition were the provisions on manned spaceflight, which was initiated in 2017. If citizens of the United Arab Emirates take part in space flights, this must be approved by the national space agency after submitting a medical certificate.

organization structure

Below the head of the agency, who also heads the directorate - including the director and his deputy - currently eleven members, is the director general, a post that Major Muhammad Nasser al-Ahbabi has held since the agency was founded. He manages the daily business of the authority through his office:

  • Directorate
    • General Director
      • administration
        • HR department
        • IT
        • Buchhalötung
        • procurement
      • Space travel
        • Space missions
          • Space Science and Technology (NSSTC)
          • Space projects
        • Policies and regulation
          • Policies and regulation
          • education

Important missions of the UAESA

Surname Starting year Brief description Result
al-Amal 2020 Mars orbiter on road
MeznSat 2020 3U- Cubesat for greenhouse gas measurement planned
813 Earth observation satellite planned

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi: Chairman Message. In: space.gov.ae. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ His Excellency Dr. Ahmad bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi. In: uaecabinet.ae. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  3. ^ History of the UAE Space Sector. In: space.gov.ae. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  4. ^ ILS to launch Yahsat satellite on Proton. In: ilslaunch.com. March 3, 2008, accessed July 29, 2020 .
  5. ^ Yahsat Completes Thuraya Acquisition and Appoints new CEO. In: thuraya.com. August 5, 2018, accessed on July 29, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Who We Are. In: thuraya.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology. In: itu.int. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  8. ↑ Key Space Programs & Experience. In: satreci.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .
  9. ^ The Arab Science and Technology Foundation's Overview. In: astf.net. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  10. ↑ Executive Office. In: astf.net. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  11. ^ Call for pan-Arab space agency. In: thenational.ae. October 27, 2008, accessed July 28, 2020 .
  12. ^ The Hammaguir rocket launch site in Algeria was shut down in 1967.
  13. ↑ Sonya Shaykhoun: Pan-Arab Space Agency: Pipe Dream or Real Possibility? In: satellitetoday.com. August 26, 2014, accessed on July 28, 2020 .
  14. ↑ a b c Binsal Abdul Kader: The UAE Space Agency celebrates third anniversary. In: gulfnews.com. July 16, 2017, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  15. ↑ UAE Mars Mission at a glance. In: gulfnews.com. May 6, 2015, accessed July 31, 2020 .
  16. ↑ a b Decree to set up UAE Space Agency. In: thenational.ae. September 7, 2014, accessed on July 29, 2020 .
  17. ↑ Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Federal Law No. 12 on the Regulation of the Space Sector. In: space.gov.ae. December 19, 2019, accessed on July 29, 2020 .
  18. ↑ a b UAE National Space Policy. In: unoosa.org. April 6, 2017, accessed July 31, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Khalifa Mohamed Thani Al-Romaithi. In: dhow.com. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
  20. ↑ Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi. In: iafastro.org. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
  21. ^ The UAE Astronaut Program. In: u.ae. January 16, 2020, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  22. ↑ UAE Astronaut Programs. In: mbrsc.ae. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
  23. ↑ Binsal Abdul Kader: UAE space agency unveils ambitious plans. In: gulfnews.com. May 25, 2015, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  24. ↑ UAE to build new space research center in Al Ain. In: arabianaerospace.aero. May 26, 2015, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  25. ↑ United Arab Emirates University. In: cosparhq.cnes.fr. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
  26. ↑ National Space Science and Technology Center 2017. In: uaeu.ac.ae. June 19, 2018, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  27. ↑ UAEU's National Space Science and Technology Center represented the UAE at the COSPAR. In: uaeu.ac.ae. May 16, 2019, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  28. ↑ Contact Us. In: uaeu.ac.ae. October 3, 2019, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Khaled Al Hashmi. In: iafastro.org. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).
  30. ^ Sarwat Nasir: UAE launches Arab Space Collaboration Group. In: khaleejtimes.com. March 19, 2019, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  31. ↑ Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan join Arab Space Cooperation Group. In: africanews.space. March 20, 2019, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  32. ^ Arab Satellite 813 Project. In: space.gov.ae. July 29, 2020, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
  33. ↑ About us. In: tawazun.ae. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
  34. ↑ UAE to launch navigation satellite next year. In: satelliteprome.com. August 10, 2020, accessed on August 11, 2020 .
  35. ↑ Emirates to launch satellite navigation system next year. In: atalayar.com. August 10, 2020, accessed on August 11, 2020 .
  36. ↑ Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Federal Law No. 12 on the Regulation of the Space Sector. In: moj.gov.ae. December 19, 2019, accessed July 30, 2020 .
  37. ^ Board of Directors. In: space.gov.ae. July 29, 2020, accessed on July 31, 2020 .
  38. ^ Director General Message. In: space.gov.ae. July 29, 2020, accessed on July 31, 2020 .
  39. ^ Organizational Structure. In: space.gov.ae. July 29, 2020, accessed on July 31, 2020 .

Coordinates: 24 ° 25 ′ 55.1 ″  N , 54 ° 37 ′ 13.7 ″  E