Abu Dhabi: With the aim of promoting space exploration and investment, the Global Space Congress kicked off in the capital today (January 31) in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, also attended the opening of the two-day congress, which is expected to attract about 600 space sector executives and government officials.
The UAE has already invested about Dh20 billion in the space sector, including the launch of a number of satellites. In 2014, it also announced the Hope Mars Mission, which is set to send an unmanned probe to the Red Planet by 2020 and is being carried out by a team composed solely of Emirati engineers. More info
By Binsal Abdul Kader, Senior Reporter and Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter gulfnews.com
