Emirati-built satellites and an outer space simulation centre for training are some of the plans included in the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre's 10-year strategy.
Reviewed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday, the 2021-2031 plan focuses on three main areas: space missions, research and development, and sustainability.
Space missions listed in the strategy included the Hope Probe, which launched from Japan in July but will reach Mars in February 2021, more Environmental Monitoring Nanometric Satellites; the Emirates Moon Exploration Project, and a second mission for astronauts.
The Emirates Moon Exploration Project aims to send the first Arab mission "with national competencies" to the Moon by 2024.
It is unclear whether that would be a manned or unmanned mission, however, the US plans to put the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 with its Artemis programme.
Further details would be announced in due course, Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.
“I reviewed the plan of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre for the next 10 years. We have new space missions that we will announce soon,” he said on Saturday.
“And programmes to develop new specialised satellites and an outer space simulation centre will be built for training and academic and educational programmes, with universities to build a new scientific and technical culture.”
The country's latest space mission was revealed a day after the nation celebrated the one-year anniversary of the UAE’s first astronaut going to the International Space Station.
Maj Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati man to go into space on September 25 last year and spent eight days on the ISS.
The MBRSC's research and development plans include building the Innovation and Development Centre, food security research in space, the Emirates Space Simulation Programme, and the Mars Science City project.
And the sustainability section listed a space entrepreneurs programme, the International Astronautical Congress, and the World Organisation for Sustainability in Space.
"The UAE's ambition in the space sector explores, plans and makes the future. Our youth, engineers and pioneers open new horizons in the science, technology and innovation fields in this vital sector for the future of our world," said Sheikh Mohammed.
"The space sector in the country represents a tributary to the Arab space sector with the experiences it has gained and the knowledge it has developed and the strategic partnerships it has held. Its future programmes for training national cadres in the space sector and building satellites will be supported by knowledge, data and innovations academic and scientific research institutions in the Arab world and the world for the benefit of mankind."
He said the Emirati space programme was sustainable and would produce outputs that would have practical applications across other sectors.
Professionals from these sectors will share their experiences with the rest of the country and the region, Sheikh Mohammed said.
"It will build international knowledge partnerships that will benefit humanity."
The announcement came as Maj Al Mansoori and the UAE's reserve astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi undergo a 30-month training programme at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston under Nasa.
Once they graduate, they will be able to participate in long-hauls space missions and carry out spacewalks.
Two new Emirati astronauts will join the next batch of Nasa’s Astronaut Candidate Training Programme once they are selected by the UAE next year.
Currently, only SpaceX and Russia’s Soyuz can deliver humans to the ISS. The US also has plans to reach the moon using the US Space Launch System.
"It is a next chapter for us and the UAE astronaut programme be training in Houston," Maj Al Mansoori had told The National in an exclusive interview on the first anniversary of his space mission.
“Within one year of my mission, we’ve started training. This type of programme is a big message to the whole world that we are serious and we want to be part of space exploration and flights."
He said that the UAE would want to be part of US’ Artemis programme.
Dr Al Neyadi also said the UAE could be a key player in that mission.
“Hopefully, this [the training] will be just the beginning – there are many good plans of going back to the moon. I think the UAE will be a key player for that as well. We are ready and we’re happy to be here,” he said.
“As you know the UAE's last mission was a short flight. The training we conducted in Russia was for that mission and it was successful. Now, the goal is to spend more time on the ISS and be engaged with different activities like spacewalk and maintaining the station.”
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
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Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
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Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Jetour T1 specs
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on animal trafficking
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
