The UAE’s next goal in space is to place an Emirati astronaut on the surface of the Moon within 10 years, the chief of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said.
Salem Al Marri, director general of the centre, said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday that activities on the Moon would help pave the way for Mars missions.
“What drives me, and I think drives a lot of people at the MBRSC, is that we want to see an Emirati on the surface of the Moon within the next 10 years,” Mr Al Marri said.
“And I think we will do everything that we can to make sure that happens.”
Reaching for the stars
The Emirates has made significant strides in the global space race in recent years. Hazza Al Mansouri made history in September, 2019 by becoming the first Emirati to venture into space, while Sultan Al Neyadi broke new ground in March 2023 when chosen to be the first Arab astronaut to carry out a long-duration journey through space.
The UAE signed up with Nasa to contribute a key component of the US-led Gateway, a Moon-orbiting station, in exchange for sending an Emirati to the station.
That agreement, however, only guarantees the country access to the station and a separate deal would have to be made for landing an Emirati to the lunar surface.
SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing landing vehicles that would transport humans to the surface from the Gateway station.
First the Moon, then Mars
Mr Al Marri, who was speaking on the Geotechnology and Police Forum panel by the Atlantic Council, said Mars was the “overall objective” for going to the Moon.
“The global exploration road map is going towards exploring Mars, eventually having humans there and sample return. And we, of course, with our Mars 2117 programme, that's what we're looking at,” he said.
“However, to achieve those objectives, we can do a lot around the Moon, and we think the Moon is key. This is why most of our missions, I would say 70 per cent of them, focus on missions around the Moon.”
The UAE had announced Mars 2117 in 2017, an ambitious project that aims to form a human settlement on the Red Planet within 100 years.
Space industry trends could be shifting towards Mars instead of a heavy focus on the Moon, with billionaire Elon Musk campaigning to make humans “a multiplanetary species”.
He said last month on social media platform X, which he owns, that the “Moon was a distraction” and that “we are going straight to Mars”.
His campaigning was echoed in US President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, in which he said that he wants to see an American flag on the Red Planet.
Mr Al Marri said that the space centre “can do both” – missions to the Moon and Mars.
“The Moon is very important – it’s closer, it's a bit easier to get to. It's somewhere where a lot of testing can happen, and then that can then shift and go towards Mars.
“We can work on both at the same time. In the more immediate next five years, we're focusing on Moon and then Mars will, of course, be part of that, because whatever you're developing for the Moon can then go and shift there.”
Nasa is designing its Gateway in a way so that astronauts can head to Mars before making a stop at the Moon-orbiting station.
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MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
