The UAE's space chief has set out the nation's ambitions to embark on a third mission to the Moon – even before a planned second flight next year.
Salem Al Qubasi, director general of the UAE Space Agency, said a second lunar landing bid remains on track, with "hopes high" for a milestone achievement.
The Rashid 1 rover, part of Japan’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 in April 2023, was lost when the lander crashed into the Moon's surface.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre selected Firefly, a US company, to oversee the launch of the Rashid 2 rover, carried by Blue Ghost 2.
“There are plans for a second rover and also for a third,” said Mr Qubaisi at the Futurists X Summit in Dubai on Tuesday. "So, the plan is still alive. We’re keeping our hopes high and praying for a good landing this time.”
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, said in May that the UAE was to attempt to become only the second nation to land on the far side of the Moon, after China made history in 2019 when its Chang'e-4 mission landed in the Von Karman crater.
The Moon mission would represent another leap forward for the UAE in the global space race.
The Emirates has already launched its Hope Probe to Mars and sent two astronauts to the ISS. The UAE Space Agency is also overseeing the Emirates mission to the asteroid belt, under which the MBR Explorer spacecraft will blast off in 2028 to explore seven asteroids and attempt to land on one.
Political hurdles for US Mars quest
Meanwhile, a retired Nasa astronaut told the Dubai gathering the political climate in the US is the greatest obstacle to the nation’s space ambitions, warning that divisions could derail long-term plans to send humans to Mars.
Scott Kelly spent nearly a year on board the International Space Station (ISS) from 2015 to 2016 in a mission that studied the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.
Mr Kelly said the US is lacking the political will to reach Mars. His comments come as Nasa is shifting priorities and redirecting funds from scientific programmes to human exploration.
Under a proposed White House budget for 2026, Nasa funding would be cut by about 25 per cent, which could compel the agency to carry out mass layoffs.
“We could go to Mars very soon if we had that kind of support," Mr Kelly said. "But that support is very expensive and is a long-term commitment.
“Especially in the United States right now, that's currently a big challenge. Politically, we're not where we need to be. You need the population to elect the representatives that believe in science and that then will be proponents of going to Mars.”
President Donald Trump appointed Sean Duffy, the US Transportation Secretary, as interim administrator of Nasa in July, after withdrawing billionaire Jared Isaacman as a candidate for the role.
“I think what’s very important to this whole space conversation is the problem we have in the United States that is just kind of out of control right now ... we have people who do not agree with each other and are not capable of working with each other, which is a disaster,” said Mr Kelly.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's company SpaceX is building Starship, a deep-space rocket capable of reaching Mars. The project is still under development, with test flights under way.
Mr Musk had previously said human flights to the red planet could begin as early as 2029, but revised this to 2031 in comments on his X platform.
International partnerships
Mr Kelly, who has logged 520 days in orbit across four missions, said international co-operation was crucial for Mars missions to become a reality.
He said the ISS was a good example of what foreign partnerships could achieve, with the US and Russia co-operating in space for more than two decades despite being political rivals on ground.
“My hope and dream would be that we would have a base on the Moon, where astronauts, cosmonauts and whoever from around the world are working productively there, and also have missions to Mars,” he said.
“What the space programme has taught us is that you can work productively and peacefully together with people that you have little in common with and that you disagree with.
“In some cases, they were once your enemy but you can do work safely and productively, and be successful. So, I hope we really focus on that, and that we have an international effort to put humans back on the Moon and Mars.”
Nasa is working on sending three astronauts around the Moon next year as part of its Artemis programme.
It will be the agency's second mission – though the first with a crew on board, under the programme – which aims to return humans to the lunar surface, where they have not set foot since 1972.
A planned third mission would involve a crewed lunar landing attempt in 2027.
The programme has faced criticism for being unsustainable, with each Space Launch System mission allegedly costing $4 billion.
But Nasa is committed to beating China to the Moon, which aims to land people on the lunar surface by 2030.
Nasa press secretary Bethany Stevens said the US President "has made himself clear. America will win the second space race", and vowed that a return to the Moon would happen before Mr Trump leaves office.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
TOURNAMENT INFO
Opening fixtures:
Friday, Oct 5
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers
Saturday, Oct 6
4pm: Nangarhar Leopards v Kandahar Knights
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends
Tickets
Tickets can be bought online at https://www.q-tickets.com/apl/eventlist and at the ticket office at the stadium.
TV info
The tournament will be broadcast live in the UAE on OSN Sports.
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
