The region’s largest space camp is set to open in the UAE, with two astronaut training simulators already available.
The Space and Rocket Exploration Centre is expected to open in 2022 and will be able to accommodate up to 500 children.
However, the camp will be opening this September in a temporary facility that can host up to 200 pupils – still the largest space education-dedicated campus for children available in the country.
The project is an expansion of an existing space camp that has been hosted by the Space and Rocketry Academy UAE in the country since 2017.
“The multi axis trainer is the first two simulators that have arrived as part of the space camp,” said Lissy Donald, the founder of Compass International UAE – the firm that runs the academy.
“Over the years, we’ve seen a greater interest from schools, parents and children, so we wanted to give the full experience of a space camp like how you get in the US and other parts of the world.”
This is the first time astronaut training simulators have been made available to children in the UAE.
Speaking to The National, Ms Donald said other machines will be arriving soon, which includes a zero gravity wall, a space shuttle landing simulator and a microgravity chair.
On the multi axis trainer, children are strapped in a chair and are spun in all directions while in between giant metal rings.
The movement is meant to simulate spatial disorientation, specifically the feeling of spinning uncontrollably in microgravity.
Mercury astronauts – those who were part of the United States’ first human spaceflight programme – used to train in an intense version of this simulator in the 1960s, called the gimbal rig.
The machine is portable and Ms Donald plans on taking them to schools across the country once they reopen.
She said 700 children were booked to use them in the first half of this year, but it proved difficult with the Covid-19 restrictions that were in place.
Although, some pupils have already had the chance to experience the multi axis trainer.
One of them was Rhema Bhamburkar, a 17-year-old pupil at Dubai Scholars Private School.
“It was pretty exciting because I felt what astronauts feel like when launch takes place. To be in their shoes was quite an exhilarating experience,” she said.
”Space is never ending and we always have multiple discoveries, so having pupils learn about these things at the camp will be very interesting. It will give us an insider view of how astronauts train and the work they do in space.”
Ms Donald said more children in the UAE are now interested in space since witnessing UAE’s first astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri’s journey to the International Space Station last year.
She said children have been coming down from other Arab countries to participate in the camp.
The UAE Space Agency has sponsored Emirati children in the past to attend the academy, which used to be hosted in schools due to a lack of a permanent location.
The centre will also feature interactive space presentations, rocket design labs, a cube satellite lab and concepts and a StarLab planetarium.
The programme is designed for pupils aged nine to 18 and offers a 30-hour curriculum over a period of five days. The cost is Dh1,500 per person.
Ms Donald said the price is “more affordable” than the space camp trips abroad that were organised for children by her firm.
“It used to cost nothing less than Dh15,000 per child for a nine-day camp in the US, which included flights. The camp itself was for five days and costed Dh5,500,” she said.
“Now, children will have access to space education and space-themed activities within the UAE.”
The location of the temporary facility is yet to be decided, however, it may be in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
The building for the Space and Rocket Exploration Centre is currently in the design phase, with construction expected to begin next year.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
A%20Little%20to%20the%20Left
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMax%20Inferno%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20Mac%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
