The UAE Space Agency chairman said on Wednesday the country will emerge stronger from the attacks by Iran and that Emirati space endeavours continue to pay off.
Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, who is also Minister of Sports, told a roundtable discussion on the country's space ambitions that while the UAE was "going through a rough time right now", its space programme is proof of its ability to overcome.
"We are resilient, we have a strong societal fabric ... and I'm here to tell that story to everyone, so they can understand what makes the UAE so special," he told the event in Washington, organised by the Arab Gulf States Institute (AGSI).
He said that because of the UAE's intense focus on space exploration over the past decade, the county is starting to see an increase in young people showing interest in science, technology, engineering and maths, while the private space sector is growing in economic strength.
The UAE has accumulated a lengthy list of space exploration achievements in recent years. KhalifaSat, the first satellite designed entirely by UAE engineers and scientists, was launched in 2018.
About a year later, Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri became the first in the country to go to space.
The UAE's Hope Probe in 2020 successfully entered the orbit of Mars, where it collected data, sent back photos and provided new insights on the planet. On the successful entry into orbit at the time, the hashtag "Arabs to Mars" trended globally on Twitter, the former name of the X platform.
In 2023, astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, now UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, became the first Emirati to complete a six-month mission onboard the International Space Station.
Those achievements, Dr Al Falasi said, have paid tremendous dividends in terms of the UAE's efforts to inspire the younger segments of its population.
Dr Al Falasi said the UAE was working hard on plans to send an autonomous spacecraft known as the MBR Explorer to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
He also spoke of the UAE's goal of sending an Emirati astronaut to Mars, and praised an announcement from Nasa on Tuesday that said it is seeking to "return to the Moon before the end of President [Donald] Trump's term".
"I commend the US for fast-tracking that," Dr Al Falasi said. There is plenty of momentum to go to the Moon "in multilateral way".
"Besides exploring the asteroid belt, we want to go to the Moon with the US and hopefully get our first astronaut there as well."
Shortly after the UAE space chairman concluded his remarks, AGSI hosted a roundtable discussion with executives from various space-related companies such as BlackSky, AzurX and Orbitworks.
Anna Hazlett, founder of AzurX, a Dubai-based company that advises and invests in the space sector, echoed the UAE space chairman's sentiments about the increasing confidence that private-sector space companies have in the country.
"The interesting thing about the UAE is the rapid pace in which it has built a space programme," she said.
"The private sector is what will create more jobs and inspire the next generation in the UAE ... what started as a government focused programme has turned into something where anything is possible for the private sector."
