• Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will fly about 100,000 postcards created by UAE pupils into space and return them to their senders with a ‘flown to space’ stamp. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will fly about 100,000 postcards created by UAE pupils into space and return them to their senders with a ‘flown to space’ stamp. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
  • To celebrate the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, children drew their vision for the country’s next 50 years on the postcards. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    To celebrate the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, children drew their vision for the country’s next 50 years on the postcards. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
  • UAE astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati man in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi (pictured) also made surprise visits to schools while pupils drew their postcards. Photo: Beam Education
    UAE astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati man in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi (pictured) also made surprise visits to schools while pupils drew their postcards. Photo: Beam Education
  • A New Shepard suborbital flight by the space tourism company will carry the messages to space next year. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    A New Shepard suborbital flight by the space tourism company will carry the messages to space next year. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
  • Blue Origin’s non-profit Club for the Future foundation has been flying postcards written by pupils all over the world since 2019. Now, the Emirates Post Group, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE Space Agency and AzurX is collaborating with the foundation to involve the Emirates on a large scale. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    Blue Origin’s non-profit Club for the Future foundation has been flying postcards written by pupils all over the world since 2019. Now, the Emirates Post Group, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE Space Agency and AzurX is collaborating with the foundation to involve the Emirates on a large scale. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
  • Mr Bezos announced the educational project in May 2019 when he said it was designed to inspire youth and encourage them to think about a future in space. Photo: Beam Education
    Mr Bezos announced the educational project in May 2019 when he said it was designed to inspire youth and encourage them to think about a future in space. Photo: Beam Education
  • Many pupils featured planets on their postcards, depicting humans landing on Mars, the UAE flag in space and futuristic cars. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    Many pupils featured planets on their postcards, depicting humans landing on Mars, the UAE flag in space and futuristic cars. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
  • Blue Origin, which has already successfully flown eight people to space, is trying to increase its presence in the UAE. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram
    Blue Origin, which has already successfully flown eight people to space, is trying to increase its presence in the UAE. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri Instagram

Blue Origin to fly 100,000 postcards from UAE pupils into space


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin will fly 100,000 postcards written by UAE pupils to space and return them to their senders with a “flown to space” stamp.

To celebrate the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, the children drew their vision for the country’s next 50 years on the postcards. These included futuristic cars, going to the Moon, landing on Mars and planting the national flag on another planet.

A New Shepard suborbital flight by the billionaire Amazon founder's space tourism company will carry the messages to space next year.

Blue Origin’s non-profit Club for the Future foundation has been flying postcards written by pupils all over the world since 2019, using its reusable launch vehicle.

Now, the Emirates Post Group, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE Space Agency and AzurX – a Dubai-based innovation and strategy firm that supports space sector opportunities – is collaborating with the foundation to involve the Emirates on a large scale.

“As Blue Origin’s UAE and regional representative, it is a privilege to bring international, UAE government and private entities together to initiate the Postcards to Space initiative on this momentous occasion of the UAE Jubilee and get the youth inspired to think big and bold looking ahead to the next 50 years of the nation from space,” Anna Hazlett, founder of AzurX, said.

Among schools that took part were the International School of Creative Science in Muwaileh, in Sharjah, and the Al Mawakeb School in Al Garhoud, in Dubai.

UAE astronauts Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi made surprise visits to schools while the pupils decorated their postcards.

“We are working on a number of initiatives with our international partners to inspire future generations, build awareness around the space sector and the ecosystem surrounding it which future generations can, and will very likely be part of,” Ms Hazlett said.

“Space careers of the future is where we are headed.”

Mr Bezos announced the educational project in May 2019 and said that it was designed to inspire young people and get them thinking about a future in space.

For the first set of postcards, pupils in different parts of the world were asked to write their dreams of the future.

The private space flight company flew them into space later that year, among other cargo, and then mailed them back.

Is it unclear whether the postcards by UAE pupils will be flown on a single or multiple flights, but a set will be sent on a space flight in 2022.

Blue Origin, which has flown eight people to space, is building its presence in the UAE.

AzurX is working with Blue Origin on its localisation strategy. It would also assist customers with space tourism flights and opportunities on Orbital Reef – a private space station announced by Blue Origin.

In October, Blue Origin and the UAE Ministry of Economy agreed to develop a plan that would accelerate the ministry’s ambition for economic development through space activities, including space tourism.

On December 9, Blue Origin is flying six more passengers to space, including Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of America’s first astronaut Alan Shepard, and former American football star Michael Strahan.

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Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales

Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow

Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades

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Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

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Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

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Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free

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Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)

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Updated: December 08, 2021, 1:16 PM