Abu Dhabi: The biggest challenge for countries that are developing their own space programmes is the task of providing qualified workers for the industry, said Dr Khalifa Mohammad Al Rumaithi at the SpaceOps conference in South Korea.
The two-day conference includes representatives from Nasa and several other space agencies from around the world, with the theme of the conference focused on the important technical aspects regarding space operations.
Al Rumaithi’s comments were made as part of a panel discussion, with the chairman telling the audience that the UAE Space Agency was planning to develop specialist space education programmes in collaboration with universities in the UAE and abroad in an effort to create a sustainable and educated local workforce for the UAE’s space industry.
The chairman added that international partnerships were crucial for the development of space programmes, and the UAE Space Agency is keen on receiving suggestions for their own space operations.
Regarding the UAE’S Mars Hope mission in 2020, which will see the launch of the first Arab space probe sent to Mars, Al Rumaithi highlighted the role of the UAE Space Agency in overseeing and funding the major space expedition, and said that the agency was working on acquiring the latest technologies to help with the mission through international partnerships.
