The Finance World Magazine| Edition: March 2023

Zayed Ambition 2: Exploring the
Potential of UAE’s Space Economy
for Sustainable Growth
The longest Arab space mission in history was launched on Thursday, March
2, 2023, carried out by the Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, during which
he will spend 6 months aboard the International Space Station. In this article,
we hope to provide insights into the economic opportunities presented by
investing in the UAE’s Space Sector, considering the employment and revenue
generated as a result of the sector’s growth.
Exclusive to The Finance World Magazine
The Longest Arab Space Mission
in History:
The Crew 6 of SpaceX, carrying
astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi and his
Crew-6 colleagues, has successfully
arrived at the International Space
Station after approximately 24 hours of
launching on Thursday. Sultan AlNeyadi
is now the second Arab to undertake a
prolonged space mission. The Dragon
capsule, named Endeavour, was utilized
by Crew 6 and it lifted off from NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:34
a.m. EST on March 2, 2023; the initial
effort to launch the crew was called off
on Monday because of an obstruction
in the engine ignition system’s filter,
moments before the launch.
AlNeyadi his Crew-6 colleagues will
substitute a team composed of US-
Russian-Japanese individuals who have
been stationed there since October.
The other occupants of the station are
two Russians and an American. Their
six-month stay was extended until
September after their Soyuz capsule
encountered a leak, and a new Soyuz
capsule arrived last weekend. AlNeyadi,
a communications engineer, was the
backup for the first Emirati astronaut,
Hazzaa Al-Mansoori, who travelled to
the space station in 2019 for a one-week
visit on a Russian spacecraft.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince
of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive
Council of Dubai, and President of
MBRSC, said “Congratulations to the
UAE and the Arab world for achieving
a historical milestone. Today, we start
a new mission to explore space and
achieve the impossible. We wish Sultan
Al Neyadi success in this new journey.”
During the Post Launch News
Conference, H.E. Salem Humaid
AlMarri, the Director General of MBRSC,
expressed his gratitude towards NASA
and SpaceX for their dedication towards
the successful launch of the mission,
which was made even more special due
to the presence of an Emirati astronaut
on board. AlMarri highlighted that
this was the UAE’s second astronaut
mission, with the first being carried
out by astronaut Hazzaa AlMansoori
in 2019. He emphasized that the UAE
has a long-term strategy and aims to
promote human spaceflight missions
in the region. The successful launch
has made the UAE the 11th country
globally to have launched a longduration
astronaut mission to the
International Space Station, and the
MBRSC will continue to work towards
achieving its set goals.
According to Amer AlSayegh, the
Al Neyadi’s space
mission marks
the UAE’s second
human space
flight, following
the eight-day
expedition of
the first Emirati
astronaut, Hazzaa
Al Mansoori, to
ISS in 2019.
Senior Director of the Space Engineering
Department at MBRSC, there will
be continuous communication and
collaboration between the ground
control stations located in both the
UAE and the USA, and the International
Space Station.
March 2023 www.thefinanceworld.com 31