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.
Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin crew travel to space successfully
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.
