A relaunched Dubai space academy is on a mission to help future generations of intrepid explorers reach for the stars – and even set foot on Mars.
The Space and Rocketry Academy, which first opened about 10 years ago, had paused operations temporarily after the Covid-19 pandemic.
It has now reopened at a new dedicated campus in Garhoud, with weekly workshops that will help pupils build and launch model rockets, programme robotic systems, design satellites, and understand the principles of AI and sustainability.
The academy follows a Nasa-based curriculum and features the space agency's astronaut-training simulator demonstration, a rotating chair that spins in various directions to replicate how it feels to lose balance in space and help astronauts acclimatise to the sensation.
Career launchpad
Lissy Donald, managing director of Compass International, the organisation behind the academy, said it is planning more astronaut training and mission simulators for pupils.
“We’ve launched the academy because we want to make it easier for the youth of the UAE to advance their education or careers in space-related fields and Stem [science, tech, engineering and maths],” she said.
A relaunch event was held at the new campus that hosted pupils, UAE Space Agency officials and former Nasa astronaut Dr Donald Thomas, who completed four Space Shuttle missions and spent nearly 44 days in space.
Dr Thomas first visited the UAE a decade ago when the academy opened to speak to pupils and said he has witnessed how much the country’s space ambitions and public enthusiasm have grown since.
“I’ve loved every visit since then … meeting students, sharing my experiences and seeing how much passion there is for space,” he said. “Every time I come back, something new is happening, things are growing and the energy is inspiring.”
He said he was particularly impressed by the progress of the UAE’s astronaut programme, under which Hazza Al Mansouri and Dr Sultan Al Neyadi were blasted off to the International Space Station.
“One of them [Dr Al Neyadi] even performed a spacewalk, the first ever by an Emirati,” Dr Thomas said. “Two more astronauts are in training right now. That’s incredible progress in such a short time."
Dr Thomas told students their generation could be the first to set foot on Mars. “The teachers and parents here won’t be the ones to go to Mars, it’ll be the students,” he said.
“You are the right age to be the first humans to set foot there. We’re building the rockets, habitats and spacesuits now, but it’s your generation that will make the journey.”
'Space is for everyone'
Naser Al Rashedi, director of space policy and regulations at the National Space Academy under the UAE Space Agency, said exploration was no longer limited to scientists or engineers.
“Space is for everyone … there’s a stereotype that you must be a rocket scientist to go to space but that’s not true any more,” he said.
“If you’re an artist, we need you in space to create beautiful works that inspire others to join the field. If you’re an educator, we need you in space, too, because you’re the best at communicating ideas and ensuring the message reaches people.”
Mr Al Rashedi said pupils need to develop social skills and insisted it should “be fun” to be an astronaut, as well as amassing technical expertise.
“When I first met Hazza and Sultan, they had just applied to become astronauts. Their CVs were very strong and they asked a very interesting question: what can make my application more appealing to the selection committee?” he said.
“Good health and fitness are important, and being great at maths, science or engineering – that’s important, yes, but it’s not everything.”
He said former Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly once revealed that when astronaut selection panels review candidates, they look beyond technical qualifications.
“During face-to-face interviews, they ask themselves one key question: is this someone I could live with on the International Space Station, seeing them every single day in a confined space?”
To attend the academy, the price per pupil is Dh2,300 ($625) for a nine-week course. Each course is 45-hours long.
