• This hemispheric view of Venus, as revealed by more than a decade of radar investigations culminating in the 1990-1994 Magellan mission, is centred on the North Pole. Nasa's Magellan spacecraft took pictures of more than 98 per cent of Venus. All photos: Nasa
    This hemispheric view of Venus, as revealed by more than a decade of radar investigations culminating in the 1990-1994 Magellan mission, is centred on the North Pole. Nasa's Magellan spacecraft took pictures of more than 98 per cent of Venus. All photos: Nasa
  • The June 5, 2012 transit of Venus, the small dot in the upper right of the disk, was captured by a Johnson Space Centre photographer in Rocket Park, Texas.
    The June 5, 2012 transit of Venus, the small dot in the upper right of the disk, was captured by a Johnson Space Centre photographer in Rocket Park, Texas.
  • A portion of Alpha Regio is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus from Nasa's Magellan spacecraft. In 1963, Alpha Regio was the first feature on Venus to be identified from an Earth-based radar.
    A portion of Alpha Regio is displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus from Nasa's Magellan spacecraft. In 1963, Alpha Regio was the first feature on Venus to be identified from an Earth-based radar.
  • Sif Mons is displayed in this computer-simulated view of Venus obtained by Nasa's Magellan spacecraft.
    Sif Mons is displayed in this computer-simulated view of Venus obtained by Nasa's Magellan spacecraft.
  • This crater in the Navka region of Venus was mapped by Nasa's Magellan in September 1990 during orbits 459 and 460. It has the terraced walls, flat radar-dark floor and central peak that are characteristic of craters classified as complex.
    This crater in the Navka region of Venus was mapped by Nasa's Magellan in September 1990 during orbits 459 and 460. It has the terraced walls, flat radar-dark floor and central peak that are characteristic of craters classified as complex.
  • A Nasa image captured on June 5, 2012, one of the rarest predictable solar events: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun.
    A Nasa image captured on June 5, 2012, one of the rarest predictable solar events: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun.

Venus and asteroid belt mission ‘a new and critical phase’ of UAE space programme


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE's ambitious mission to explore the asteroid belt and complete a fly-by of Venus is a new and critical phase of the national space programme, the country’s Mars mission director Omran Al Sharaf said.

He said the project would test how well the UAE’s space team can transfer the knowledge gained from the Mars project to the private sector, helping to boost the national economy.

Last week, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced a five-year exploration mission to the main asteroid belt, an asteroid landing and a Venus fly-by. A target launch date is set for 2028.

Space project will boost the economy

Speaking online at the Mars Society Convention on Thursday, Mr Al Sharaf said the endeavour would support small and medium businesses.

“It's a new and critical phase in the UAE space programme because one of the biggest challenges is how we can ensure that the knowledge that we've gained through the Mars and previous missions is properly given to the private sector,” he said.

“Because, ultimately, this is about serving our economy and addressing our environmental challenges.”

The new mission will be the most challenging one yet undertaken in the UAE’s space programme, with a total journey of 3.6 billion kilometres – seven times the distance the Hope probe travelled to reach Mars in February 2021.

Still in its concept phase, the mission involves a Venus and then an Earth fly-by for gravity assist manoeuvres to reach the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – known as the main asteroid belt.

The spacecraft, which has not been named yet, would fly past seven asteroids and attempt a landing on the last one. The mission’s science objectives will be announced later.

Emirati companies in the private sector would be given a priority on contracts for mission development.

  • Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, at the launch of a project to explore Venus from 2028. All photos: Ministry of Presidential Affairs / Dubai Media Office
    Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, at the launch of a project to explore Venus from 2028. All photos: Ministry of Presidential Affairs / Dubai Media Office
  • Ministers and VIPs listen as Ms Al Amiri sets out details of the five-year mission.
    Ministers and VIPs listen as Ms Al Amiri sets out details of the five-year mission.
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, attend the project launch.
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, attend the project launch.
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at the launch.
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at the launch.
  • Ministers, rulers and dignitaries attend the launch of the Venus project with Ms Al Amiri.
    Ministers, rulers and dignitaries attend the launch of the Venus project with Ms Al Amiri.
  • Ms Al Amiri explains the project and sets out the five-year mission timeline.
    Ms Al Amiri explains the project and sets out the five-year mission timeline.

The efforts are part of the country’s new national space strategy, which focuses on establishing a private space sector that contributes to the economy.

For decades, national space programmes were government-run, but now more space agencies are looking to private companies to increase capabilities.

Space sector can help UAE address challenges

Mr Al Sharaf said the economy depends heavily on technology and the mission would help to address challenges the country faces.

“The way we address our national challenges when it comes to food and water security is that we use imported technologies,” he said.

“We need to be able to build customised technologies or solutions that serve and are based on our environment, so this will be the focus of the next phase of the UAE’s space programme.”

The UAE’s mission to Mars was carried out together with Emirati engineers and three US universities.

For the latest mission, the country is teaming up with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, again.

In an exclusive interview with The National, UAE space chief Sarah Al Amiri had said the space sector would have a direct impact on the national economy in the next five years.

The Minister of State for Advanced Technology and chairperson of the UAE Space Agency said the goal was to make the country a regional hub for the development of spacecraft systems, after establishing a private space industry.

“Most of the current space sector within the Emirates is focused on government spending and programmes across local and federal governments,” she said.

"Today, we're talking about a space sector that has an indirect impact on the economy. In five years, we want to see a space sector that has both an indirect impact on the economy, society, and also a direct impact on the economy."

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

MATCH INFO

Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)

Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')

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

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Avatar%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Water
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
%3Cp%3E1.%20Bhiwadi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ghaziabad%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Hotan%2C%20China%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Delhi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Jaunpur%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Faisalabad%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20Noida%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Bahawalpur%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Peshawar%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Bagpat%2C%20India%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20IQAir%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Saturday's results

Women's third round

  • 14-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-2
  • Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
  • 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4. 6-0
  • Coco Vandeweghe (USA) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-2, 6-4
  •  9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 19-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
  • Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6, 6-1
  • Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
  • 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-0

Men's third round

  • 13-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1, 6-1 -- retired
  • Sam Queery (United States) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
  • 6-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat 25-Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
  • 10-Alexander Zverev (Germany) beat Sebastian Ofner (Austria) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
  • 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
  • Adrian Mannarino (France) beat 15-Gael Monfils (France) 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
MATCH SCHEDULE

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)

Liverpool v Roma

Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)

Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26

Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)

Updated: October 15, 2021, 6:55 AM