The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) space agencies welcomed the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAE Space Agency) as the newest ISECG member on 5 October 2015, in Cologne, Germany.
“ISECG welcomes the UAE Space Agency as a new member and we look forward to working with our new colleagues”, said Bernhard Hufenbach of ESA, which currently chairs the ISECG. “The accession of the UAE Space Agency demonstrates the interest of agencies to engage in focused international strategic exchange and coordination, and to build new strategic partnerships for advancing the implementation of the Global Exploration Strategy.”
The UAE established its space agency in 2014. “We are at the beginning of a new era in space for our country”, explains Khaled Al Hashmi, Director of Space Missions at the UAE Space Agency. “The Space Agency is currently drafting the policy, strategy and law and regulations for the UAE space sector. We believe that ISECG is a very important group for the advancement of international strategic partnerships, to coordinate developments of technologies, and to exchange information about programs and projects.”
In 2014, the UAE Space Agency announced a scientific orbiter mission to Mars, the UAE Mars Mission. The project is a major undertaking for the new space agency with an envisaged launch date in 2020.
More information about the UAE Space Agency can be found at http://www.space.gov.ae/.