Abu Dhabi Space Debate to focus on new dawn of exploration

More than 50 space agencies will be represented at two-day event

The future of space will be hotly debated in Abu Dhabi this week. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A major space conference in Abu Dhabi will address future challenges and the dawn of a new age of exploration.

The Abu Dhabi Space Debate, to be held on Monday and Tuesday at the Adnoc Business Centre, will be attended by delegates from more than 50 space agencies and authorities.

The gathering comes at a time of landmark events for the industry, including mega-constellations of satellites that are crowding low-Earth orbit and countries increasingly looking to militarise space.

There are concerns about whether there are the right regulations in place to police private companies aiming to commercialise low-Earth orbit.

Future manned missions to the Moon — and the greatest prize, Mars — will be debated.

Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, said last month that “there is no doubt we are at the dawn of a new space age”.

“From two space-capable actors in the world in the 1960s, the Americans and the Soviets, we are now looking at a multilateral world where some 70 nations have space programmes, where private sector players are taking the roles of launch provider, space station builder, satellite funder ― roles previously only in the hands of governments,” Ms Al Amiri said at the time.

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  Model rockets at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. All photos: Sarwat Nasir / The National

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  SpaceX's launch and landing control centre in Cape Canaveral

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  Barry Pendley is a captain of the Banana River Boat Tours in Cape Canaveral, but he has had a 20-year career in space engineering

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  Mr Pendley was born in Cape Canaveral and his lived there for his entire life

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  A SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster recovery ship in Cape Canaveral

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  A wave from crew members on the SpaceX booster recovery ship

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  A Navajo missile model outside Cape Canaveral Space Force base

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  A 'no motorised vessels' sign in Banana River to help protect wildlife in the area

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  Nasa's vehicle assembly building, where rockets are stored and repaired, is visible from the Banana River in Cape Canaveral

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  Cape Canaveral is also known for being a cruise destination, with massive vessels using Port Canaveral as a base

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  A mural takes an artistic spin on an astronaut and a scuba diver in Cocoa Beach, Florida

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  Tourists at Cocoa Beach, south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

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  Cape Canaveral City and Merritt Island in Florida are also known for their wildlife, which attracts tourists from all over the world

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  Tourists at Cocoa Beach, just south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

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  Tourists visit the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex on Merritt Island

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  A launch countdown clock at the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex

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  Gary Dahlke has been a volunteer at the Sands Space History Centre since 1992. The museum focuses on the history of launches at Cape Canaveral.

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  Mr Dahlke said he wants to educate as many people as possible in the history of Cape Canaveral

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  Mr Dahlke describes the Space Launch Complex 40 site in Cape Canaveral, from where the UAE's Rashid rover will soon launch

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  Space artefacts on display at the Sands Space History Centre

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  An engine displayed at the Sands Space History Centre

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  SpaceX launch control centre and the Sands Space History Centre are next to each other in Cape Canaveral

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  The Sands Space History Centre

“This is precisely why the Abu Dhabi Space Debate is vital to our development of the space sectors.”

Nasa administrator Bill Nelson is among the high profile delegates, as well as the head of the European Space Agency and the head of Japan's Jaxa.

There will also be a session on the space industry and Cop28, which will be held at Expo City Dubai next year.

An investigation into the role of space agreements, such as the Artemis Accords, will also take place.