A unique rendition of the UAE national anthem created using sounds from space has been released in a stellar celebration of the birth of the union.
Dubai bank Emirates NBD produced the stirring score of Ishy Bilady — Long Live My Country — to honour the UAE's 51st National Day on Friday and the country's remarkable progress in the space sector.
The bank shared an animation on social media set to the patriotic soundtrack, featuring sounds transmitted back to Earth from Mars, Saturn and the Carina constellation.
The video marries Emirati tradition with the nation's soaring ambitions in space, said Emirates NBD.
It begins with an Emirati man driving through the desert, then stopping to view the planets through a telescope. Next, a young woman comes out of a house to admire the night sky.
The video also features a fisherman in a sea of stars, a young child wearing a space helmet looking up at the universe in awe and school pupils being taught about the wonders of space.
Accompanying these visuals is the special recording of the national anthem — with subtitles pointing out each out-of-this-world contribution.
The recording was developed with the support of sound engineers and composers, said Emirates NBD.
“The success of UAE’s space programme is a matter of national pride and a tribute to the country’s efforts to position itself in first place in innovative developments,” said Moadh Bukhash, chief marketing officer at Emirates NBD.
“Inspired by the UAE’s ambition to conquer space, the anthem represents the progress our great nation has made to establish itself in the space sector.”
UAE makes its mark in space
The Emirates has taken significant strides in the global space race in recent years.
In 2019, astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri etched his name in record books as the first Emirati to journey into space.
He spent eight days on board the International Space Station.
The reserve astronaut for that mission, Sultan Al Neyadi, will travel on the ISS for six months — with a launch date scheduled for February.
In February 2021, the UAE launched the Arab world's first mission to Mars.
The Hope probe remains in the orbit of the Red Planet, with a goal of studying the planet's weather system and atmospheric conditions.
The region's maiden Moon mission is being led by the Emirates.
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An Emirati astronaut is set for a six-month mission to the International Space Station after the UAE bought a seat on a SpaceX rocket from private company, Axiom Space. Pictured is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with UAE's four astronauts at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress held in Dubai in October, 2021. Wam -
An Emirati astronaut will ride to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule for the first time. Photo: SpaceX via AP -
Mohammed Al Mulla, left, and Nora Al Matrooshi joined Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi as UAE astronauts last year. Photo: MBRSC -
The selected astronaut will be part of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission that is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2023 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre. Photo: Dr Al Neyadi Twitter -
Nora Al Matrooshi, the first Arab female astronaut, and Mohammed Al Mulla with their Nasa colleagues earlier this year when their training in Houston first started. Mr Al Mulla Twitter -
This will be the UAE’s second mission to space, following Hazza Al Mansouri’s historic eight-day trip to the orbiting laboratory in 2019 on a Russian Soyuz rocket. Photo: YouTube -
The latest trip will be the first long-duration mission by an Arab astronaut, who is yet to be identified. Photo: MBRSC -
The UAE's first astronaut in space, Maj Hazza Al Mansour, wore a Russian Sokol suit. But this time, the chosen astronaut will be wearing a SpaceX suit. Photo: MBRSC -
Mohammed Al Mulla, a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot, is training hard at Nasa to become an astronaut. Mr Al Mulla Twitter
The Rashid rover is due to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday at 12.37pm GST.
The launch was due to take place on Wednesday but was postponed for technical reasons.
The Emirati-built rover will be stored inside Japanese lunar exploration company ispace’s Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander, which will transport the rover to the Moon's surface.
Weighing 10kg, the rover was built by a small team of Emiratis at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.
The four-wheel vehicle will spend one lunar day — 14 Earth days — on the Moon, studying its geology and dust. It is expected to capture thousands of images of its surroundings with high-resolution cameras.
Its team hopes the rover can survive the lunar night, also 14 Earth days, when temperatures plunge to –183°C.
This is a historic mission for the UAE, Japan and private industry — with ispace on track to become the first company to carry out a commercial cargo mission to the Moon.
