It’s therefore a fitting tribute to the UAE’s inspiring vision that the country’s first spacecraft that is set to launch in July 2020 on a seven-month journey to Mars is called Hope. Further evidence of that vision came with the launch of the UAE National Space Programme earlier this week by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Under the pioneering programme, an all-Emirati team of astronauts, scientists and space researchers will set up the first scientific city on the Red Planet — paving the way for bringing to fruition its 2117 Mars project.
Significantly, the 100-year national programme will not only empower Emirati youth in playing a pivotal role for their country, but also ensure that the nation’s foundations are further strengthened by a solid bulwark of scientific knowledge in the coming decades.
When the Hope spacecraft enters into the Martian orbit by early 2021 — marking the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the UAE — it will also become the first time that an Arab or Muslim country has sent a spacecraft to Mars. The underlying symbolism is sublime — in a region wrecked by strife, turmoil and deep divisions, the UAE has taken the lead in spreading a message of hope through knowledge. It has once again stepped up in securing the future of humanity. Herein lies an incredibly inspiring lesson for the international community — the UAE’s role in transcending the grim reality of the region to create a progressive future for its people and the rest of mankind should be a model to follow for all other nations.
