The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has initiated the construction of the historic Lunar Gateway project, which will eventually result in an Emirati astronaut being the first person from the UAE to participate in a mission to the Moon.
Salem Al Marri, the Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), stated in a post on social media that they had conferred with representatives from NASA on multiple occasions in order to initiate the coordination of their efforts.
UAE decides to start work on the historic lunar gateway project
The Crew and Science Airlock of Gateway is being provided by the MBRSC. This airlock will facilitate transfers between the habitable environment of Gateway and the vacuum of space, which will in turn support broader scientific endeavors in the deep space environment. Additionally, the MBRSC will be responsible for the upkeep of the Gateway.
There will also be engineering support provided by MBRSC for the duration of the lunar space station's existence.
The Artemis program, which is the most diverse and broad coalition of nations in human exploration in deep space, will use the Lunar Space Station as a staging post for future trips to the Moon that will be conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA, in conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Mars Biological Research Spacecraft (MBRSC), will send humans back to the surface of the moon for the purpose of conducting scientific research and will also map out a route for the first human flights to Mars.
Earlier human spaceflight collaborations between the United Arab Emirates and NASA have been built upon by this most recent collaboration on Gateway.
During a brief voyage to the International Space Station in 2019, Hazzaa Al Mansoori made history by being the first Emirati to ever fly into space. During this mission, he worked in conjunction with NASA to conduct experiments and conduct educational outreach and outreach activities.
With the launch of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission in 2023, Sultan Al Neyadi became the second Emirati astronaut to travel to the International Space Station. While there, he took part in the scientific research conducted by the floating laboratory, which contributes to the advancement of human knowledge and the improvement of life on Earth.
Two more potential astronauts from the United Arab Emirates are presently undergoing training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which is operated by NASA. Within the context of reciprocal exploration priorities, NASA has collaborated with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on research pertaining to Mars, human research, and analog studies.
Two of the original signers of the Artemis Accords were the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates in the year 2020. These Accords are a practical set of principles that are intended to guide space exploration collaboration among nations who are participating in NASA's 21st century lunar exploration program.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will make history by landing the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon with the Artemis spacecraft. This will pave the way for a permanent presence on the Moon and serve as a stepping stone for sending the first astronauts to Mars.
