A historic agreement between NASA and the United Arab Emirates

The conquest of space has become more international than ever before. Therefore, NASA decided to cooperate with the United Arab Emirates to participate in building the portal. This orbital station will remain above the moon as part of the Artemis program. It is equivalent to the International Space Station (ISS), in a more modest version, and this station will be the first to orbit a star other than Earth.

in Joint press releaseThe United Arab Emirates and NASA state that this partnership stipulates that the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center will obtain a place for one of its representatives on the crew. But it also manufactures the “Crew and Science Airlock” module for astronauts.

It's a win-win, according to Bill Nelson, NASA administrator: “The United States and the UAE represent a historic moment in our countries’ space cooperation and the future of human space exploration.” Did he announce? “The UAE’s provision of the Lunar Gateaway airlock will enable astronauts to conduct pioneering scientific research in deep space and prepare to one day send humanity to Mars.”

Airlock in operation in 2030?

This airlock is an essential component of the orbital station. This compartment will allow the crew to perform spacewalks while allowing them to install and retrieve items related to the Artemis science mission. On social media, the Crown Prince of Dubai stated that the deadline for designing this piece is 2030.

” Under this project, the first Emirati and Arab astronaut will travel to the moon once the project is completed in 2030. Certain Hamdan bin Mohammed. “My team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) will be responsible for the design, development and operation of the airlock, which is the access point between the pressurized cabin of the Lunar Gateway Space Station and the vacuum of space. Through this project, the UAE will play a vital role in returning humans to the moon after It lasted more than 50 years.”

Two astronauts training at NASA

As with other manned Artemis missions, we will have to wait to find out the identity of the Emirati astronaut. In 2019, Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati to go into space. It was part of a short mission to the International Space Station, during which he collaborated with NASA.

The second Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, then launched to the space station in 2023 as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission. The UAE currently has two additional astronaut candidates training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.