The 1960s are rightly heralded as the golden era of space exploration. The touchpaper for the space race was lit by US president John F Kennedy in 1961, after he emboldened Nasa to send a manned mission to the Moon by the end of the decade.
He delivered his rallying call during one of the peaks of the decades-long Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, shortly after the embarrassment of the Bay of Pigs invasion – Kennedy's ill-conceived plan to overthrow Cuba's Fidel Castro and fillet communism out of America's backyard.
With the US bruised by this failed military adventure, its president needed a big idea to express his nation's power and demonstrate its technological supremacy. It was a spectacular and successful gamble. The US spent $25bn in its race to make Kennedy's vision a reality (roughly $150bn in today's money), but the idea and its delivery remains one of the 20th century's best examples of a confluence of soft and hard power. The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission will be marked this July.
Today, space is no longer seen through the binary prism of Cold War rivalry, and more than 70 countries have such ambitions. India launched a Mars orbiter in 2013 at a reported cost of $74m. The Mangalyaan mission demonstrated to stunning effect that the cost of space exploration does not have to be ruinously high. By comparison, The Martian film starring Matt Damon, released the following year, cost Hollywood more than $100m to make. India will launch its second lunar mission later this month. The global private sector has also been pushing development at rapid speed. Elon Musk's SpaceX company may make a manned mission to space in June, although his organisation faces competition from several other rivals.
Last weekend, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became the latest member of the space club. It is the seventh nation in the Arab world to open an agency and the third in the Gulf, following the UAE and Bahrain.
The formation of the Saudi Space Agency was part of a broader Government reshuffle by King Salman. The reorganisation installed Prince Sultan bin Salman at the agency's helm. In terms of experience, there is no one better qualified for the job. The prince was the first Arab to travel to space in June 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and responsible for the successful deployment of ArabSat-1B.
The establishment of the agency by royal order sets up an intriguing and, in all likelihood, friendly regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
What we know about the kingdom's space agency is that it will continue the many years of work in satellite communications by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology – Saudi Arabia has partnered with China on more than one project – and that the broader aim is to use the industry as another staging post towards Vision 2030's economic diversification plan.
In this country, the space programme has similarly clear goals and has already made significant strides forward. KhalifaSat, manufactured by a team of Emirati engineers, was launched last October. In April 2019, the first Emirati astronaut will travel to the International Space Station aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-12. The following year, the Hope or Al Amal Mars unmanned probe will launch and is due to arrive at the red planet in the UAE's 50th year. The country aims to build a settlement on Mars by 2117.
The substance behind the big idea of the UAE space programme is clear: more than 150 Emirati scientists are involved in the Mars mission, complemented by hundreds of organisations. The value of UAE space investments has been estimated at Dh20 billion, representing around 2 per cent of the total of the global space industry. For space projects, read economic diversification and growth.
As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, commented in 2015, the Mars mission will also send three important messages. "The first is for the world: that Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge and will play that role again. The second is … that nothing is impossible and that we can compete with the greatest of nations in the race for knowledge. The third is [to] set no limits to your ambitions."
Last year, the UAE signed a co-operation deal with Bahrain to share expertise between their respective space agencies. A "strategy of resolve" has been cultivated by the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council, which jointly presides over 175 economic and development initiatives and projects. Space is not yet one of those, but the presence of three space agencies in the Gulf, two of them already sharing information, should firmly seed the regional race towards innovation.
In the opening hours of this year, the New Horizons Nasa spacecraft visited Ultima Thule, an object 6.4 billion kilometres from Earth, demonstrating, perhaps, how far a shot at the Moon five decades ago can take you. The Gulf agencies should take inspiration and encouragement from that landmark achievement.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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INVESTMENT PLEDGES
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imVentures: $100m
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
