The pre-ignition checks have all been completed, and the space programme has been cleared for lift-off. The launch on Monday of the UAE Space Agency’s Dh100 million Al Ain research centre is a bold step into the future. And while we may be looking at the stars, this project’s most profound and lasting effects will be felt right here on the ground.
It may, at first, seem unusual that a relatively small country has ambitions in this field. But, on many levels, it makes perfect sense. We have the funds to invest and the vision to diversify our economy to ensure sustainability in the post-oil era. Government support for the space programme will give confidence to other businesses – from international aerospace heavyweights to small and medium-sized enterprises that operate in related fields – that may be considering moving to, or making further investment in, this country.
It will also encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among individuals and companies who see opportunities but require financial or logistic support to grasp them. And it will help establish the UAE and Al Ain, which is already home to factories manufacturing and maintaining airline components, as a kind of Silicon Valley for the aviation and aeronautics industries.
Importantly, it will inspire Emirati youth to purse the Stem subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – which will be pathways to many of the jobs of tomorrow. Just as the space race of the 1950s and 1960s inspired a generation of Russian and American children to look beyond a grim post-war reality to a future where anything was possible, Emirati school pupils will be able to see something tangible happening on their own doorstep and become aware of the many exciting new frontiers left to explore on the Earth and beyond.
Moreover, the space programme will give the country another target as it develops its knowledge economy. As Matthew Cochran, chairman of the Defence Services Marketing Council, said at Monday’s launch, the federal body will draw together academia, industry and government, working towards a common goal of sustainable “made in the UAE” technology. The investment and the will is there –and for those who want to join in, the sky is the limit.
