Saudi Arabia is looking to tap into the Earth observation market for enhanced environmental monitoring across the kingdom, a Saudi space official has said.
The efforts would help the country track the impact of its Green Initiative, a plan to plant 10 billion trees in the coming years, is having on the kingdom's weather and if it is helping to fight climate change.
Mishaal Ashemimry, adviser to the chief executive of the Saudi Space Agency, told The National the kingdom was looking to build assets in space and details, including how many satellites would feature in the plan, would be released in a new space strategy at a later date.
"The Green Initiative is supposed to plant a lot of trees across Saudi Arabia to tackle weather issues, whether it is dust storms or to help with temperatures," she said.
"You're going to definitely need some Earth observation satellites and remote sensing satellites to be able to give you the data to measure the changes that are occurring as you plant those trees.
"There are many other examples, whether it is with coral reefs in the Red Sea, where to position solar panels and understanding the solar flux intensity across Saudi – all that can be facilitated by a lot of satellites and constellations being put in space."
Earth observation is a developing market in the kingdom, with the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology having developed most of the previous satellites, including the four SaudiSats launched between 2004 and 2018.
The last SaudiSat-5s, launched on a Chinese rocket in 2018, are helping provide high-resolution images of the planet’s surface and are meant to help with urban planning.
Indian market research company Mordor Intelligence said Saudi Arabia's Earth observation market was expected to grow from $0.11 billion to $0.18 billion in the next five years.
The kingdom is investing more in its space sector because of Vision 2030, an economic diversification plan.
It also announced an astronaut programme in 2022 and sent two of its citizens to the International Space Station for an eight-day trip.
Space debris
Ms Ashemimry said the kingdom would use the technology responsibly and take care not to add to the growing problem of space debris.
There are concerns of an overcrowded low-Earth orbit as more countries and private companies launch satellite constellations into space.
Thousands of satellites are defunct, creating space debris that circles the planet, creating potential danger for other assets in space and the International Space Station, where astronauts live and work.
"We recognise what the problem is and we plan to be part of the solution and contribute to the space debris problem," said Ms Ashemimry.
"Currently, we don't have a lot of assets in space so we're not the main contributor for space debris.
"But we do recognise that it is a problem. With any future efforts with our constellations, and when we send satellites, we intend to do so such that there is a means to remove the space debris once we're done."
Riyadh hosted a conference dedicated to space debris that took place on February 11 and 12.
The Saudi Space Agency signed two agreements with private companies, including American firm LeoLabs and Canada's NorthStar.
The agreement with NorthStar focuses on managing space traffic after research on space sustainability and advanced data analytics.
It was not clear if the Saudi Space Agency would work towards any technology that helps to solve the growing problem of space debris.
There are companies, such as Japan's Astroscale and Switzerland's ClearSpace, that focus on space debris removal and are trying to develop technology dedicated to the cause.
Dr John Crassidis, a professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, told The National low-Earth orbit could be "essentially useless" in 50 years if the problem of space debris is ignored.
He said the overcrowded orbit would also be a problem for rockets heading to the Moon and Mars.
"Right now, space debris does not pose an immediate danger but we've had some close calls," he said.
"The International Space Station is well protected from very small debris using shielding but on average it has to move about once a year – this is a lot – to avoid big debris.
"But if we don't do something soon, then it'll obviously be a bigger problem.
"We don't have the technology to remove debris right now. There are many ideas but none are practical.
"The best we can do is try not to make more debris to give us time to develop practical solutions."
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20(2022)
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
More coverage from the Future Forum
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SWEET%20TOOTH
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List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
