UAE unveils new Dh1,000 note in celebration of 51st National Day

Currency bears the image of the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

The new Dh1,000 note will begin circulating in the first half of next year. Photo: Wam

The UAE has launched a new Dh1,000 banknote in celebration of its 51st National Day.

The note, which will enter into circulation during the first half of next year, pays homage to the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the country's soaring space ambitions.

It has been issued by the Central Bank of the UAE.

The front side of the note bears the image of Sheikh Zayed, the country's first president, next to the model of a space shuttle and incudes a nod to the Emirates Mars Mission and Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati astronaut to journey to space.

The striking design was inspired by Sheikh Zayed's key meeting with Nasa in 1976 to express his ambitions to cement the UAE as a major player in the global space race.

Now, 46 years on, the Emirates has taken significant strides in a highly competitive field.

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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

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  An Emirati astronaut will ride to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule for the first time. Photo: SpaceX via AP

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  Mohammed Al Mulla, left, and Nora Al Matrooshi joined Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi as UAE astronauts last year. Photo: MBRSC

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  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

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  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

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  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

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  The latest trip will be the first long-duration mission by an Arab astronaut, who is yet to be identified. Photo: MBRSC

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  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

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  Mohammed Al Mulla, a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot, is training hard at Nasa to become an astronaut. Mr Al Mulla Twitter

In 2019, astronaut Maj 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.

The Rashid rover is expected to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the coming days, after the launch was twice postponed this week because of technical issues.

The new note also highlights another major Emirati achievement in the form of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, which is central to efforts to switch focus to renewable energies and safeguard the environment.

The note is made of polymer and has advanced security features.

Authorities said the current Dh1,000 cash note will remain in circulation even after the new version is made available at Central Bank branches and in cash machines.