Space Perspective, the US space tourism company developing stratospheric balloons, said discussions with Gulf countries seeking to be a launch site for its commercial flights in the Middle East are progressing quickly, with a decision expected next year.
The Florida-based company is spending time in the Gulf to evaluate opportunities and expects to select a location in the first quarter of 2025, Michael Savage, its chief executive, told The National on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Skift Global Forum East in Dubai.
"We have interest from the UAE and entities from Abu Dhabi have come to visit mission control more than once. And we have interest from Qatar and from Saudi Arabia," he said.
"Our customer base likes to vacation in and visit this region, this has become a global hub for high-net worth vacationing ... and because this is a luxury experience, it's ideal for us to be as close as possible to that demographic."
Space Perspective's discussions with these Gulf countries are "accelerating really fast" and competition is heating up in the race to be first to host these space tourism flights in the region, Mr Savage said.
"Each country offers its own advantages and each has its own challenges, we have to vet that and see where the alignment is," he said. "We're spending a lot of time here through the end of the year to vet those opportunities and find the right partner."
Space Perspective will offer hydrogen-powered, high-altitude balloon rides that float passengers about 31km above Earth. The price for a single seat is $125,000 (Dh459,125). The journey promises panoramic views of the planet's curvature, while staying within the safety of a pressurised capsule designed for comfort and luxury, with meals and Wi-Fi.
The company will conduct crewed flight tests in 2025 and expects its first commercial flight to take off in 2026, most likely around Florida's Gulf coast, Mr Savage said.
The UAE has ambitions for economic development through space activities, including tourism. The country's space strategy involves creating an economic impact by creating partnerships with private companies, as well as research and development in space.
The Gulf region's location would be ideal for the company to launch its commercial flights because the capsule will be launched from a ship and splash down in the ocean, Taber MacCallum, co-founder of Space Perspective, told The National.
"Since there is so much water around this region, it's pretty straightforward to figure out how to do operations in this region," he said. "There's times we can fly over the Emirates, for example, east or west, and launch on side and splash down on the other. The region really lends itself to a marine-based operation."
This comes as the UAE pushes forward with its agenda to develop a knowledge-based economy, including space research and exploration, which involves partnerships with private companies.
Space Perspective said the UAE's interest in space and empowering the female workforce in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field aligns with its own goals.
"It's always better to be in a region that is growing and investing than to be in a region that is flat ... it's really exciting what's happening here and see the level of investment and growth in these high-tech knowledge economies," Mr MacCallum said. "It's a very attractive thing. And the Gulf is situated between Asia and Europe, so there's a lot of advantages to this region but very fundamentally, it's the up and coming place on the planet."
Meanwhile, luxury space travel operator SpaceVIP is in "active conversations" to open an office in Dubai in the next 12 to 18 months, Roman Chiporukha, co-founder and chief executive of SpaceVIP, told The National.
He describes SpaceVIP as a "space tourism broker" and a "travel agent for space".
The idea of setting up an office in Dubai would be "to have a presence here to let people know that these opportunities exist", educate young people about space and raise awareness about how the technological innovations developed for space applications can be used to solve problems on Earth such as water scarcity, he said.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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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
Honeymoonish
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Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
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PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
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)
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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The%20specs
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