The UAE has moved into the fast lane of the global space race in recent years after sending its first astronaut to the International Space Station and journeying into the orbit of Mars.
A landmark moon mission is also firmly in the sights of the country's burgeoning space agency, while the UAE also recruited the Arab world's first female astronaut this year.
While space chiefs are looking to the future with huge optimism and anticipation, they are also reflecting on a milestone moment 12 years ago that provided the launchpad for their bold dreams.
On July 29, 2009, the UAE fired its first satellite into the skies. DubaiSat-1, an Earth observation satellite that lifted off from Kazakhstan, went on to play a key role in urban developments from outer space.
It provided government bodies with pictures and data, assisting with projects carried out on Palm Jumeirah and Al Maktoum International Airport.
It also assisted with monitoring environmental patterns and weather changes.
Among the images it transmitted, the satellite, which cost US$50 million (Dh183.6m) to develop, captured imagery for the Emirates Atlas, a physical and online map of the UAE.
Such was its contribution it kept a watching brief over the Emirates and the rest of the world for six years - one year longer than planned.
The success of the UAE's maiden satellite paved the way for the remarkable progress to follow.
In 2018, engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai launched their first 100 per cent Emirati-built satellite KhalifaSat.
The Hope probe successfully reached the orbit of Mars in February, as the UAE's space agency joined an elite club of five that have sent a spacecraft to the Red Planet.
In March, Dubai's environment nanosat, DMSat-1, launched into space from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Dubai Municipality and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre will use the data it collects to create an air quality map of the UAE.
Built by the University of Toronto’s Space Flight Laboratory, the 15-kilogram small satellite will use three scientific instruments to gather data – a polarimeter imager and two spectrometers.
UAE's mission to Mars
It will take scientific images of the atmosphere over the UAE, helping to measure the location and levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Images will be received days after launch.
Last October it was announced the UAE would build a satellite to be named in honour of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
MBZ-Sat is expected to be launched in 2023.
It will be put to civilian and commercial uses and will be built by Emirati scientists and engineers.
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
