A lorry slowly carries the Mars Hope probe - contained in this special sealed container - from the space centre near Dubai International Airport to Dubai World Central. The normally 45-minute journey took 12 hours to minimise bumps. Courtesy: MBRSC
The three and half-day journey involved painstaking planning to ensure the probe was not damaged
Maximus Air, an Abu Dhabi aviation firm specilising in huge cargo shipments, used an Antonov 124 to carry the probe
The box is loaded onto the Antonov ahead of the flight to Japan
Emirati engineers travelling with the probe secured special permission to enter Japan, which has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus
Engineers discuss the journey to the launch centre on Tanegashima Island, about 1,000km south of Tokyo
Emirati engineers have spent years constructing the device at a lab in Dubai
An earlier picture showing the probe before it was completed
The total journey took 83 hours
A launch date is yet to be confirmed for the Arab world's first deep space mission, but it has to be from July 14 to August 3, when Earth and Mars align and make the mission possible
By transforming desert sands into glistening cities, the leaders of the UAE transformed an entire society and drove the Emirates to heights unimaginable even a decade ago. Now the country is taking its first steps towards its next goal: building a city on the red sands of Mars by 2117.
As demonstrated by last year’s flight of the first member of their planned astronaut corps to the International Space Station and the scheduled launch of the Hope Mars Mission in July, the UAE government is serious, and is already investing real money and effort in the plan.
If the Emirates Mars Mission continues as planned, it will support the nation’s educational, technical and strategic ambitions for the next hundred years and more. It could also lead to a major shift in the UAE's ability to feed itself over the very long term, and to foster levels of self-sufficiency for its people that will transcend the end of the fossil-fuel era.
The UAE plans to establish the first human colony on Mars in 2117. Courtesy Dubai Media Office
What makes this plan unique among those of other governments is that it doesn’t speak of tiny symbolic steps to explore Mars, but rather declares from the outset a national intention to go there and build a city.
Historically, space exploration has been focused on science, national prestige and strategic power. No other government – not even that of the US – has declared and funded a long-term programme to open the space frontier to its people to live and develop industries and build communities.
Although US President Ronald Reagan's Space Settlement Act of 1988 made the human settlement of space a core tenet of the US human spaceflight programme, Nasa got it cancelled a few years later.
In 2015 more than 100 high-level attendees at the New World's Institute's Pioneering Space National Summit, including the head of the current White House Space Council, endorsed human settlement as a primary goal of the spaceflight programme. Unfortunately, this visionary policy has yet to be adopted.
So the nation that some might think would naturally lead this type of effort has not done so. Even Nasa’s Artemis lunar project is not designed to establish civilian and private communities on the Moon except as an afterthought, even as some wealthy American private citizens are building their own settlement programmes.
Thus, by stepping into the leadership vacuum this failure created, the UAE will become known as the first nation to announce its goal to open the Solar System as a home for humanity.
Rather than just exploring Mars, deciding to build a city there is an important distinction, as it means learning how to provide all the essential needs of human life, and goes far beyond the basic engineering needed to fly robots and probes or to send astronauts on camping trips.
As a visitor to a place, you can bring everything you need for your trip with you. But if you are going there to live, you need to be able to survive on what you find at your destination. Thus the end goal determines everything you do along the way.
With human space settlement as that goal, one can work backwards to the present and make decisions accordingly. Once you leave the earth, there are three components that are essential. The first is transportation: the ability to get there and back cheaply, safely, reliably, and regularly. Second is resources: the ability to use what you find there to survive and thrive. The third is regulations: securing the right (and, hopefully, the encouragement) to do so from governing bodies.
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other business magnates are focused on transportation. Within a year or two, we will see the first flights of 100 per cent reusable rocket ships, meaning that by the time the UAE is ready to establish a foothold on Mars, the ships will be there to buy or rent.
Sarah Amiri, Deputy Project Manager of a planned United Arab Emirates Mars mission talks about the project named "Hope" — or "al-Amal" in Arabic — which is scheduled for launch in 2020
The UAE might become known as the first nation to declare other parts of the solar system another home for humanity
Regarding regulations, the UAE is already a great supporter of space-resource policies, along with the US and Luxembourg. The UAE is working closely with both, and I hope they will expand this work so that citizens of the Emirates and any other nation wanting to start a new life on the frontier will be able to do so.
For example, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine repeatedly mentions the UAE as one of the nations he sees as an obvious participant in the recently announced Artemis Accords, a precedent-setting document intended to establish norms of behaviour on the Moon.
Next is the use of space resources – turning energy and materials into the stuff of life and profit centres to fund the space economy. In other words, how will we both build cities on the deserts of Mars and provide them with the air, water and food?
Answering this question is what makes the UAE Mars plan so important. It is the same challenge faced by every desert or resource-challenged nation, and if answered will transform life in the UAE. After all, if we learn how to extract water from the red sands of Mars and turn it green with life, why can’t we do it in the deserts here?
What is needed to accomplish this goal calls forth everything an advanced society is about: clean energy, urban and home design, sanitation, transportation and a host of other areas.
Needless to say, the Hope mission to Mars will be an inspiration to the people of the UAE – especially the children. It is also a great first step of a three-part strategy for the Emirates to build towards the goal of eventually sending humans to Mars.
First, Hope and other missions of exploration will develop the UAE’s deep space capabilties. Working with the US and others on programmes such as the Artemis Moon missions will expand on this.
Second, the government should support private firms who can bring important expertise to the plan, while growing a UAE space technology industry.
Finally, it is important to begin early to understand and experience the challenges of living on Mars and prepare the generations ahead.
This brings me to Dubai's Mars Science City. If developed with real substance, it will become a global centre for the innovation needed to live both on Mars and places here on earth so far seen as inhospitable. In fact, long before the first habitats are erected under the Martian dunes, the dunes of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara may be home to new UAE-designed domed and self-sufficient cities and communities.
Along with the physical benefits of being able to expand life out into the desert, the Mars initiative can nurture environmental and community awareness and shared purpose – a sense of national and human destiny for its children. From architecture to agriculture, and medicine to management, this challenge will excite and focus generations of the UAE’s children in ways no other national educational agenda can touch.
In his speech making the announcement, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, shifted the future course of the country’s history. As mentioned in a presentation at the NewSpace Conference in 2019 by Talal Al Kaissi, an advisor at the UAE Space Agency, this was a Kennedy moment for the Emirates and one that if it stays on track will lead the nation to a giant role in the future of humanity.
Rick N Tumlinson is the founder of SpaceFund, Space Frontier Foundation, New Worlds Institute and EarthLight Foundation
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
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 two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Barack Beach, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Way Of Wisdom, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Woodditton, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Secret Trade, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mark Of Approval, Antonio Fresu, Mahmood Hussain.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tradesman, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
