Abu Dhabi's artificial intelligence firm Group 42 is looking to tap into the space sector for new commercial opportunities, according to a senior executive.
"Our mission is to help the UAE deliver on its AI agenda ... and it’s obvious that space is a natural use case for AI," said Talal Al Kaissi, who left the UAE Space Agency to join G42 earlier this month to oversee its new space programme.
With an emerging market for commercial space travel, Mr Al Kaissi said there are opportunities to develop space traffic management systems. He also sees potential in robotics and autonomous mining on extraterrestrial land, which can be done remotely or autonomously to reduce human error or risk.
Morgan Stanley estimates that commercial opportunities in space will be worth an estimated $1 trillion by 2040.
The UAE, a relative newcomer to space exploration and development, has ambitious plans for the coming decade. With the Hope probe underway to Mars, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announced the Emirati Lunar Mission this week.
The Emirati-made lunar explorer will land on the surface of the Moon in 2024 in areas not reached by previous human exploration missions to capture images and data.
These undertakings are critical, particularly coming from the government during a difficult year for so many around the world, Mr Al Kaissi said during the Global Aerospace Summit.
“We’re in the business of manufacturing hope and inspiration,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to quantify that return, but it’s easy to see tangible results in terms of the value in inspiring people. At this time you need a lot more of that. It’s time to double down on investments in space.”
Developing AI systems to better understand the features of space and extraterrestrial destinations, as well as autonomous robotics would be "low hanging fruit" for the firm to start out with, but the company's plans are still under development, he said.
G42 has spent much of the year focusing on addressing needs during the pandemic.
The firm's supercomputer Artemis is being made available to researchers working to stem the virus and its subsidiary G42 Healthcare is involved in the vaccine trial with China's Sinopharm, developing faster Covid-19 tests.
It's time to double down on investments in space.
Increasing investment in space has also led to another major challenge of space debris – an area in which many companies see potential.
George Whitesides, the chief executive of Virgin Galactic, said that there was an opportunity to address space debris as a result of growing amount of traffic in orbit.
The next few years will see the addition of 1,000-unit constellations of satellites to Low Earth orbit as well as a greater number of vehicles headed into space.
"These will bring a lot of new benefits and capabilities to Earth but we need to make sure we have the right processes and regulations in place for sustainable space development," Mr Whitesides said, speaking from the Global Aerospace Summit.
He commended the UAE for developing a policy framework at the same time as it was getting its space programme underway.
"We've made no secret of potentially doing something in Al Ain," he said, referencing a 2019 preliminary agreement with the UAE Space Agency to put a launch location for its commercial space shuttles in the emirate.
"We’re looking for markets where people are excited to fly from," he said. "What an exciting time we live in."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
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The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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HOW TO WATCH
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