• Billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos embraces veteran aviator Wally Funk after Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard craft capsule returned from space on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
    Billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos embraces veteran aviator Wally Funk after Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard craft capsule returned from space on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
  • Jeff Bezos, Funk and and gap-year student Oliver Daemen, 18, disembark after Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard capsule returned from space.
    Jeff Bezos, Funk and and gap-year student Oliver Daemen, 18, disembark after Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard capsule returned from space.
  • Jeff Bezos disembarks after the flight.
    Jeff Bezos disembarks after the flight.
  • New Shepard touches down on Earth.
    New Shepard touches down on Earth.
  • New Shepard approaches the ground.
    New Shepard approaches the ground.
  • The capsule carrying Jeff Bezos and three crew members returns to Texas by parachute.
    The capsule carrying Jeff Bezos and three crew members returns to Texas by parachute.
  • The booster rocket returns to the launch pad.
    The booster rocket returns to the launch pad.
  • The rocket lifts off.
    The rocket lifts off.
  • The launch viewed from far.
    The launch viewed from far.
  • The rocket is launched on the world’s first unpiloted suborbital flight.
    The rocket is launched on the world’s first unpiloted suborbital flight.
  • It took off from Blue Origin’s launch site, near Van Horn in western Texas, US.
    It took off from Blue Origin’s launch site, near Van Horn in western Texas, US.
  • Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is launched from its spaceport.
    Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is launched from its spaceport.
  • The rocket lift-off.
    The rocket lift-off.
  • The launch pad. Blue Origin’s first crewed mission was an 11-minute flight from Texas and back. Reaching an altitude of 106 kilometres, it coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
    The launch pad. Blue Origin’s first crewed mission was an 11-minute flight from Texas and back. Reaching an altitude of 106 kilometres, it coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
  • People watch on a television screen as the rocket sits on the launch pad.
    People watch on a television screen as the rocket sits on the launch pad.
  • The crew members prepare for the flight.
    The crew members prepare for the flight.
  • The crew members prepare for the flight.
    The crew members prepare for the flight.
  • Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, rings a bell before boarding the flight.
    Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, rings a bell before boarding the flight.
  • This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Funk, Daemen and the Bezos brothers before they leave for the flight.
    This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Funk, Daemen and the Bezos brothers before they leave for the flight.
  • A monitor in a zone reserved for the media shows Wally Funk being interviewed.
    A monitor in a zone reserved for the media shows Wally Funk being interviewed.
  • This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Funk, Jeff and Mark Bezos, and Daemen as they ascend the crew tower for the flight.
    This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Funk, Jeff and Mark Bezos, and Daemen as they ascend the crew tower for the flight.
  • This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows, from left, Mark Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen as they travel to the launch pad.
    This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows, from left, Mark Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen as they travel to the launch pad.
  • Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, a private equity executive, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen pose in an undated photograph.
    Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, a private equity executive, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen pose in an undated photograph.

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has its eye on UAE desert for spaceport


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is looking at the UAE’s desert as a possible location for a spaceport for tourists.

The company has successfully sent eight people into space through its New Shepard suborbital flights — including Star Trek actor William Shatner, 90, who became the oldest person in space.

In an exclusive interview with The National, Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of advanced development programmes for Blue Origin, said the UAE was an “obvious choice” for a spaceport and that it was looking to expand its launch sites from the current one in El Paso, Texas.

“Now that we are operational for tourism, the next thing we are looking at is other locations around the planet to establish launch and landing sites for New Shepard,” he said.

A couple of nights ago I slept over in Sharjah and did some stargazing in the desert. It’s very promising to think about areas here
Brent Sherwood,
Blue Origin

“It’s an obvious place to look here. All we really need is some desert. One of the endearing qualities of the West Texas desert is that it is hard to get to the El Paso airport. You have to drive for a couple of hours and it is in the middle of nowhere.

“A couple of nights ago I slept over in Sharjah and did some stargazing in the desert. It was only 30 minutes away from Dubai, so I think it’s very promising to think about areas here.”

Mr Sherwood was speaking to The National on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress, which is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre until October 29.

Booking space tourism trips from the UAE

AzurX is a private company in Dubai that is working as a strategic adviser to Blue Origin and will work as a bridge between the UAE and space tourism company.

Anna Hazlett, chief executive of AzurX, told The National that it would be helping Blue Origin with its localisation strategy in the UAE, and would assist customers with space tourism flights and opportunities on Orbital Reef — a new private space station Blue Origin announced on Monday.

“The AzurX team is proud to assist Blue Origin in exploring Orbital Reef and space tourism in the UAE,” she said.

“We look forward to developing this exciting program with Blue Origin and bringing opportunities to the UAE, Emirati visionaries, entrepreneurs, and businesses.”

Orbital Reef would be a “mixed-use business park” that would provide easier access to a diverse group of people ranging from tourists to media, science and finance.

Are tickets affordable?

Blue Origin has not revealed the price of a ticket on a New Shepard flight, but one was sold for $28 million during an auction.

Mr Sherwood said prices are expected to decrease once reusable orbital vehicles become more common.

“Costs are coming down already, let's say even in the pricing of New Shepard suborbital seats, where we're seeing that price curve,” he said.

“The first seat was result of an auction and that was a lot of money, but the seats we’ve sold since were not sold for that price, they were sold for less.

“We have a database of interested passengers and we are observing that price point come down. It’s very exciting because we’ve only flown two human missions so far and we’re already seeing that decrease. That will continue as reusable orbital vehicles get more common.

“As to the question of getting all the way down to a price where you and I do it, that’s going to be a while and that’s going to be a long time coming, I think.”

He said Orbital Reef offers more of a “value proposition” than a “short ride to space”.

“With Orbital reef, I can go someplace. So, just like people come to Dubai because it's a destination in itself, it has these attractions and things that are unique in the world,” he said.

“That's what Orbital Reef will be. It’s not just going to space, it’s going to a place in space that has its own set of amenities and entertainments and all that.”

Rival Virgin Galactic signed an agreement with the UAE in 2019 for a spaceport. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the UAE Space Agency and Abu Dhabi Airports to use the Al Ain airport facilities for commercial space flights, but there has been no update on construction provided since then.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

Fixtures and results:

Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.

SCHEDULE

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
 
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 1
Alonso (62')

Huddersfield Town 1
Depoitre (50')

Updated: October 27, 2021, 9:24 AM