Abu Dhabi: The UAE Space Agency has achieved a major milestone after taking part in a scientific project that studied and analysed space debris coming into the earth’s atmosphere.

The project which was partnered by organisations such as Nasa and the International Astronomy Cenre, was the first time astronomers managed to study and monitor space debris falling into the earth’s atmosphere.

Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Director-General, UAE Space Agency, spoke with Gulf News on the historic achievement, and said the project was in line with the space agency’s wider goals.

Possible danger

“This was a great opportunity for the UAE, and it was the first mission we actively participated in. It was a unique mission because it had a different focus area in the space domain, specifically to monitor and record the space debris and the possible danger they can pose to our planet,” he said.

“The UAE is the first Arab and Islamic country to contribute in such a mission, we will continue to participate in such missions for the future. The UAE wants to play an active and positive role in helping solve mankind’s challenges,” Al Ahbabi added.

Peter Jenniksens, a senior research scientist from Nasa, said the study would benefit the community by helping them prepare for any possible space debris that was going to impact them.

“For the first time we were able to know what happens when small asteroids enter the earths atmosphere, so in the future if there is any event that could be a danger to us on the ground, we will be able to know what we can expect,” he said to Gulf News  .

  “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, to be able to study space debris coming in and breaking apart. We had the chance to observe the process and to see how the debris broke apart, and the data we received allowed us to better understand the possible dangers behind such objects,” he added.

Jenniksen was also very positive about working with the UAE Space Agency. “It was a great opportunity to partner with the UAE Space Agency, it’s very exciting to think about new projects we can collaborate on,” he said.