The UAE joining Nasa’s Artemis Accords on peaceful space exploration paves the way for sending the first Emirati to the Moon in future, a Nasa official has said.
Last week, the Emirates and six other nations signed on to become founding members of the US-led Accords, which outline responsible and peaceful Moon exploration.
Mike Gold, acting associate administrator for Nasa's Office of International and Interagency Relations, told The National that the partnership lays groundwork for partner countries to collaborate in lunar missions.
“The UAE can, and we hope will, become a strong and robust partner in the Artemis programme,” said Mr Gold, referring to a project that seeks to establish a human base on the Moon.
“We look forward to collaborating not only on lunar rovers, but on other forms of science and orbiters, and eventually human spaceflight as well. The UAE is not only ambitious, but it follows ambitions with funding and actions, which is why they are such an excellent partner for us to join in this unprecedented journey of discovery that is.”
Through the Artemis programme, Nasa will send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface by 2024.
The long-term plan is to build a lunar-orbiting space station, called Lunar Gateway, and use the Moon as a base, so the first astronauts can go to Mars from there.
This (Artemis Accords) is an essential step that paves the way for lunar and Martian exploration
As of yet, the UAE has not signed an agreement to be part of the Artemis programme, but the Accords have laid the foundation for any future collaboration.
This means that once human spaceflights to the Moon become regular, Emirati astronauts will likely have opportunities to be part of them.
It is a similar format used for the International Space Station (ISS), where partner countries that invested in and helped build the floating laboratory can purchase seats on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft – or now with SpaceX also – to live and work on the ISS.
Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, said after the announcement of the Artemis Accords signing that the international treaty will further cement principals of peaceful collaboration and co-existence in space exploration, planetary science and space engineering.
"This is an essential step that paves the way for lunar and Martian exploration. Our commitment to scientific research, planetary science and space systems engineering is rooted in our desire to nurture and build opportunities, to further our nation’s development," she said.
Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati man to go into space, has previously told The National that he dreams of going to the Moon.
He and reserve astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi are training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre. Once they graduate in two and half years, the training programme will certify them to be part of future Nasa-led space missions.
“The Moon is in the horizon in terms of a mission that is approaching (Artemis). The UAE would want be part of those human space exploration missions. I always dreamt of seeing earth rising from the horizon of the Moon. Maybe it is something I’ll see in the future,” he said.
The Artemis Accords asks partner nations to be transparent in their lunar missions, help other astronauts in emergency situations, register space objects and make all scientific findings public.
The Emirates is sending a robotic mission to the Moon in 2024. Its Rashid rover will study lunar soil – regolith – to enhance mobility on the surface and study astronaut suit materials.
This will help experts identify the ones that can better withstand the lunar environment. The findings will help Nasa’s goal of a human base on the Moon.
“Dust and mobility on a sand-like surface is an extraordinarily important issue,” said Mr Gold.
“Robotic missions are an absolutely vital precursor to obtaining additional data that will enable human exploration and sustainable operations.
“That data will inform on everything from hardware design, mission planning, and the nature of the regolith. Lunar dirt can be quite problematic and gets everywhere, and can be an issue for the proper functioning of equipment.”
Emirati engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre are building the rover and have shortlisted five possible landing locations on the near side of the Moon.
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.
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%20v%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DSaturday%2C%208.15pm%2C%20Al%20Ain%20Amblers%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%20results%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDubai%20Exiles%2020-26%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3Cbr%3EDubai%20Tigers%2032-43%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETable%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1%20Dubai%20Tigers%2C%2033%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E2%20Dubai%20Exiles%2C%2024%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E3%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%2C%2018%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E4%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%2C%2014%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E5%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%2C%2014%20points%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
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
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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
