UAE Establishes Fund to Develop Space Technologies

DOHA (Sputnik) - The authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have established a fund to support the development of space technologies, with over 3 billion dirhams ($816 million) of investment, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Sunday.

"We are establishing a dedicated fund to support the space programme with the capital of 3 billion dirhams and are launching a national program of the development of modern radar satellites under the brand name 'Sirb.' The UAE continues to seek innovation solutions to environmentally stable development and will prepare its national specialists in this vitally important sector," Nahyan said in a tweet.

The UAE sent it first astronaut Hazzaa Al Mansoori to the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2019. Currently, the country is preparing several more astronauts, including the first Arab female space crew member, Nora Al Matrooshi.

In July 2020, the UAE launched the Emirates Mars Mission, which reached the planet's orbit on February 9, 2021. The country plans to launch a lunar module in 2022 to explore the unexplored areas of the moon.