Director-general of Space Agency appiointed

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cabinet has recently approved the appointment of Dr Mohammad Nasser Al Ahbabi as director-general of the UAE Space Agency.

The appointment was approved during the Cabinet’s last session on November 2.

Al Ahbabi holds a degree in electronic engineering from the US, as well as a masters and PhD in telecommunication engineering from the UK. Al Ahbabi has a vast experience in the field of telecommunications engineering, information systems and space projects ( Yahsat project).

He is a member of many boards and key speaker in a lot of conferences and events on the space industry. Al Ahbabi is known for his efforts in research and development.

A law formally establishing the UAE Space Agency was issued by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,

The agency was announced in July with the goal of sending an unmanned mission to Mars by 2021.

The unmanned probe will travel more than 60 million kilometres in nine months and will be launched to coincide with the UAE’s 50th anniversary.

The first meeting of the UAE Space Agency was held in July and was led by His Hihgness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who directed all government institutions to provide maximum support.

The UAE is one of only nine countries with space programmes to explore the Red Planet. The Mars probe’s nine-month and more than 60 million kilometre journey will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s formation.

The UAE Mars probe represents the Islamic world’s entry into the era of space exploration. “The USE’s purpose is to build Emirati technical and intellectual capabilities in the fields of aerospace and space exploration and to enter the space industry and to make use of space technology in a way that enhances the country’s development plans.