Omar Fayed, son of Egyptian billionaire and former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, is planning on launching a space research and manufacturing facility in the UAE, as he looks to expand his space and eco-business.
The tech and space entrepreneur, 35, told The National that he is looking to get “in touch with his Arab roots” and that he has been inspired by the work the Emirates is doing in space exploration and eco-tech.
He said there is “no limit” to the investment he is willing to make in the country and will be using his personal funds as well as grants received from European governments to launch the project in the UAE.
It’s going to be a research facility and a manufacturing facility to further cleantech, industrial and ecological systems
Omar Fayed
Mr Fayed said he has held meetings with several UAE officials this week on potential partnerships and setting up the facility.
“We've had some really great conversations — they've been in and around the sustainability, industrial, ecology, technology and space area,” he said.
“It’s going to be a research facility and a manufacturing facility to further cleantech, industrial and ecological systems, which have effective immediate applications in the built-up landscape and more advanced human space exploration.”
Mr Fayed hopes to carry out these plans through his company Earth Space Technical Ecosystem Enterprises (Estee), based in Switzerland.
Several different space habitat ideas are being promoted by the company, including the Scorpius Laboratory Prototype 1, which uses microalgae for air revitalisation.
Another is the Scorpius Extra-Terrestrial habitat, which is designed for sustaining human life on the extreme surfaces of the Moon and Mars.
The company says the habitat would have waste recycling and food production systems that combine physico-chemical, mechanical and bio-regenerative processes.
Mr Fayed formed Estee years after resigning as Harrods’ director in 2009 because he wanted to do something more “fulfilling”.
His father owned the world’s leading luxury shopping department for 25 years but sold it in 2010.
Mr Fayed is also the half-brother of Dodi Fayed, who died alongside Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris.
“From a financial standpoint, Harrods was an amazing opportunity. However, I didn't find the real satisfaction in just doing that,” he said.
“I stuck it out for as long as I did with the hope of being able to reinvigorate the business and to reconstitute what Harrods represented, away from just a purely materialistic and commercial enterprise into something that embraced the environmental and ethical necessities that we all have to embrace in the 21st century.
“But we had the opportunity to move on and in retrospect that was a great move.”
He said he has invested about $20 million (Dh73m) in Estee so far and is potentially looking at bringing on other investors.
Oliver Renwick, manager director of Palmes Consulting Group, is working with Estee to establish their regional representation in the UAE.
He said they are looking at areas such as Masdar City in Abu Dhabi to base the research and manufacturing facility.
The company hopes to make an announcement before the Cop28 climate change conference being held in Expo City Dubai next year.
“What we’re trying to do in the UAE is absolute alignment with the Emirates Mars Mission, the idea of a settlement on Mars by 2117, what is trying to be achieved by Cop28 and the broader space programme,” Mr Renwick said.
Estee is one of many companies that is trying to build space habitats, as space agencies look towards sending astronauts to the Moon again and eventually to Mars.
The UAE has plans to build a settlement on the Red Planet by the year 2117 and is also building a Dh500 million Mars Science City in Dubai's International Academic City district.
The Emirates has placed a focus on developing its private space sector and industrial sector, and making the country the regional hub for advanced space systems.
Space agencies in many different countries are increasingly partnering with private companies to achieve space missions.
For example, the US space agency is working with private companies and other space agencies to build the Lunar Gateway — a small station that will be in the Moon's orbit, which astronauts will use as a base before landing on the lunar surface.
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SPECS
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
More on Quran memorisation:
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%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets