The UAE has appointed Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi as the new director-general of its national space agency.
President Sheikh Khalifa issued a federal decree on Monday, appointing Mr Al Qubaisi as the new head of the UAE Space Agency.
Mr Al Qubaisi replaces Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, who served as director-general since the formation of the agency in 2014.
The UAE Space Agency is the federal entity that oversees the space sector, including its development and regulation.
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The first image of Mars as taken by the UAE's Hope probe, which arrived at the planet on February 9. -
This image taken by the Hope probe's ultraviolet spectrometer (one of its three scientific instruments) shows sunlight reflecting off the extended cloud of atomic hydrogen gas that surrounds the planet Mars. The sunlight is visible only as a dark disk hidden inside the fog of gas. The Emirates Mars Mission team said that no other mission have made such kind of recordings before. -
The UAE's Hope probe captured a high-resolution photo of Mars. -
The Hope probe has shared new images from its journey in the orbit of Mars. -
This image was taken by the infrared spectrometer, another instrument on the Hope probe, from an altitude of about 15,000 kilometres. The image shows the surface temperature (left), centred on the Tharsis region of Mars. Dawn can be seen towards the right side. The low surface temperatures observed are due to the dusty nature of the Martian surface. An elevated nighttime atmospheric temperature at 25 km altitude (right) is also observed over the Tharsis region. -
These images were captured by the eXploration imager, a high-resolution camera on the Hope probe. The red channel clearly shows the dark and light features of the Martian surface, while the water ice clouds stand out in the ultraviolet channel. -
Hope probe sent back an image of the Cerberus Fossae, an area on the planet known for 'Marsquakes'. -
Surface and atmospheric temperature readings collected by the UAE's Hope probe. -
Discrete aurora on Mars captured by UAE's Hope probe -
Discrete aurora on Mars captured by UAE's Hope probe
Mr Al Qubaisi, who previously worked for the Armed Forces, will lead the agency’s efforts to develop space sciences and advanced technologies, set up related regulations and policies, establish bilateral and multilateral international partnerships, and promote national capabilities.
He brings 20 years of experience in the fields of military aviation and defence, in both the public and private sectors.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering and a master’s in electrical engineering.
According to news agency Wam, the decision to appoint Mr Al Qubaisi was in line with the goals the government has set for the country’s 50-year plan, which include improving the performance of the public sector and updating its strategies.
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, is the chairwoman of the agency.
