The UAE will this week begin its participation in a key Nasa simulation aimed at replicating the conditions of a Mars mission to boost international efforts to travel deep into space.
The project involves analogue astronauts - crew who take part in simulated missions on Earth - to test the effects of spaceflight on the human body and mind.
The UAE's involvement in the crucial research programme was first revealed by The National in 2022.
It is the second simulation mission in which the Emirates has been involved, after Saleh Al Ameri completed an eight-month mission in Russia in 2022.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) will take part in the Human Exploration Research Analogue (Hera) project by sending an Emirati crew to live in a habitat in Houston, Texas.
Analogue missions are designed to mimic long-duration space missions and usually involve confining a small team to a habitat where they carry out “space missions”.
The Hera mission has four phases, the first of which begins on Friday.
MBRSC will send an Emirati crew for the second phase, which begins later this year.
Universities in the Emirates are also taking part by sending experiments to the crew, including the UAE University in Al Ain, Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the American University of Sharjah.
The names of the Emirati analogue crew have not yet been revealed.
Hera is a three-storey habitat that offers the isolation, confinement and remote conditions that are experienced during space exploration missions.
There have been six campaigns under the programme to date, each of which involved four to five missions and ranged in duration from one to 45 days.
The UAE is planning to build analogue facilities at the planned Dh500 million ($136 million) Mars Science City, a research centre that will simulate the environment of the Red Planet, with pressurised biodomes and robotics labs.
Construction was meant to begin in 2022 but no updates have been provided by MBRSC since.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
