Plan to build a base on Mars 'not a fantasy', says Emirati space official

Adnan Al Rais, Mars 2117 manager at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, says a settlement on the Red Planet was a long-term plan to benefit humanity

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  Adnan Al Noorani, left, founder of the Future Innovation Summit, and Adnan Al Rais, Mars 2117 manager at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, on the first day of the conference in Dubai. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

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  Delegates on the opening day of the Future Innovation Summit at Meydan hotel.

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  Leading Emirati educator Maya Al Hawary and Mr Al Noorani speak during a panel discussion at the summit.

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  Mr Al Rais speaks during the session on the ‘Vision of UAE for the Space Industry’.

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  Children sing the UAE national anthem on the opening day of Future Innovation Summit.

The UAE’s plan to build a settlement on Mars by the year 2117 is not just a dream, a top Emirati space official has said.

Adnan Al Rais, Mars 2117 manager at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, said some people doubted whether the settlement project could ever happen.

But Mr Al Rais told the Future Innovation Summit on Wednesday that the UAE's plan to build a scientific settlement on Mars was a long-term plan to benefit humanity.

“Some people think about this like a fantasy but there is something ... definitely happening,” he said. “The UAE has a vision and a clear path for the next 100 years."

The Emirates in 2017 announced ambitious plans to build a human colony on the Red Planet in 100 years.

Since then, the space centre has sent its Hope spacecraft to study the planet’s atmosphere, and is building a Dh500 million science city in Dubai that simulates the conditions on Mars. It also aims to land a rover on the Moon this year.

The UAE has said the space programme is not just about missions, but also helping to create jobs. The sector provides more than 3,200 jobs, with more than 57 space companies and five space science research centres operating in the UAE.

"We're going to continue investing in science, technology and space, which means that we're going to continue investing in our youth continue," Mr Al Rais said.

But there is still no technology readily available that can transport humans to Mars, or protect them from the deadly radiation during the journey there and while on the planet.

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  HOPE MISSION MILESTONES - IN PICTURES: On July 16, 2014, the UAE announced its Mars mission would reach the planet in 2021, in time for the country's Golden Jubilee. Photo: Nasa

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  On May 8, 2015, during a glittering ceremony at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi, the name of the spacecraft and timeline of the mission is unveiled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  On November 12, 2017, at the Dubai Airshow, a prototype of the Mars spacecraft goes on display. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre

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  On January 5, 2020, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, right, and Sheikh Mohamed sign the final piece of the Hope Probe before it is shipped to Japan for the launch. Photo: Wam

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  On January 21, 2020, a launch window between July 14 and August 3, 2020, is announced. The spacecraft would lift off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre, aboard the HII-A rocket. On May 19, it is announced the first launch attempt would be made on July 15, 2020. Photo: Dubai Media Office

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  On April 5, 2020, Emirati engineers are sent, months in advance, to the launch site due to Covid-19. Some team members stay behind because only a limited number of people are allowed on site. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  On April 25, 2020, the space orbiter arrives on Tanegashima island, 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  The vehicle travelled in a special container to avoid damage and flew on one of the world's largest cargo planes. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and chairperson of the UAE Space Agency, and mission director Omran Sharaf, third left, discuss with engineers shipping the Hope probe to Japan. Photo: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre

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  The Hope probe arrives in Tanegashima island for a launch attempt on July 15, 2020. Courtesy: Yoshiaki Sakita

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  Heavy rainfall and strong winds delay the mission twice, on July 15 and July 17. Courtesy: Shoma Watanbe

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  On July 20, 2020, the Hope probe lifts off and begins its 493-million-kilometre journey to Mars. AFP

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  Sarah Al Amiri celebrates a successful take-off with launch provider Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. AFP

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  On July 22, 2020, the probe captures an image of Mars two days after it began its journey to the Red Planet. Sheikh Mohammed shared this image on Twitter. Photo: Sheikh Mohammed Twitter

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  On February 9, 2021, Sarah Al Amiri hosted an event at Dubai's Burj Park and gave live updates on the mission. Reuters

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  On February 9, 2021, mission director Omran Sharaf announces the Hope probe has successfully entered Mars orbit. Photo: Wam

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  Joyous scenes at the event in Burj Park. Christopher Pike / Reuters

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  Moments after the announcement, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid thank staff at mission control in Dubai. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

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  On February 14, 2021, the spacecraft sends its first global image of the Red Planet. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  On October 1, 2021, the UAE releases the first set of data collected by the mission, including images and science readings of the atmosphere and weather. Photo: Emirates Mars Mission

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  This image taken by the Hope probe’s ultraviolet spectrometer shows sunlight reflected from the extended cloud of atomic hydrogen gas that surrounds Mars. The sunlight is visible only as a dark disk hidden within the gas. Emirates Mars Mission

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  On January 1, a second set of data is released for free to the public. This image was enhanced by Andrea Luck and shows another cloudy day on the planet. The North Pole, Olympus Mons and Tharsis Montes are also visible. Photo: Hope Mars Mission / Andrew Luck

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has developed the Starship rocket to send humans to Mars but it is yet to perform its first orbital flight.

The billionaire also has plans to colonise the Red Planet and hopes to send a million people there by 2050.

But plans to colonise Mars have sometimes been criticised.

British astrophysicist Martin Rees has said: "Mars is a very hostile environment.

"What I certainly don’t buy is an idea espoused by Elon Musk and by my late colleague, Stephen Hawking, that we should expect that literally millions of people will go and settle on Mars as a way of escaping Earth problems."

Several research programmes are taking place to help the Mars 2117 goal, including the country’s participation in an analogue mission.

The project involves Saleh Al Ameri, an Emirati who is spending eight-months inside a Russian facility that mimics space travel and helps scientists to understand the effects on the human body of long-duration deep space missions on the human body.

Mr Al Rais said that the UAE is following international space plans, which are to land humans on the Moon, build a sustainable base on the surface and then eventually send humans to Mars from there.

“[The] Moon is basically the gateway to Mars," he said. "This is the roadmap set by international agencies and the UAE is part of that.

"This is called the global solutions roadmap. So, the Gateway [a planned lunar-orbiting station] will send humans back to the surface of the Moon and then there will be future missions to the surface of the Mars."

Hazza Al Mansouri, the UAE's first astronaut, speaks during the session on the ‘Vision of UAE for the Space Industry’ on the first day of the Future Innovation Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the UAE’s first astronaut, spoke by video at the event on Wednesday. He is training in Houston for the country’s next mission to space, in which he will probably be the back-up astronaut.

“We are currently in an exciting period in the history of space exploration,” Maj Al Mansouri said.

“The UAE is preparing its astronauts to participate in a new advanced missions, collecting new data from Mars, preparing to launch a mission to the Moon and developing the most advanced, high accuracy, high resolution imaging satellites.

“In our quest to explore the vastness of space, we are creating technologies and deriving innovation that are now being used to benefit human society, from urban planning to disaster management, as well as exploring sustainable means to create a better more now and in the future.”

The Future Innovation Summit continues in Dubai on Thursday.

Adnan Al Noorani, left, founder of Future Innovation Summit, and Adnan Al Rais from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. Pawan Singh / The National