Jaber Mohamed Al Shuaibi, Emirati Researcher in Geopolitical Issues
22 July, 2020
The competitiveness between the major powers has always stemmed from a political and economic background, the matter which provoked the thinkers to anticipate the areas of collision between these powers across various fields, and this made the space as another geopolitical target considering it as essential site for surveillance or the military attacks in the future as well as exploring the natural resources and mining locations in the asteroid and comets belt, which gives importance to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which governs the activities of all States in exploring and utilizing of outer space for the interest of humanity as a whole.
The growing global interest in space exploration is clearly demonstrated in a report published a year ago by “the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research”, in which the size of this interest is clear as it indicates that the number of space flights that are launched annually doubled four times in less for more than 10 years while the percentage of space flights for non-commercial purposes has increased for six times higher.
The United Arab Emirates is a country whose leadership’s vision transcends all extremist conflicts and ideologies, thus heading into the vast space. In this context, we stand united as one person, we do not represent only 22 Arab countries, but we represent humanity’s search for life on the surface of Mars, bringing us closer to our neighbors from other planets, some of which is more older than the planet of the Earth, and it may possess the necessities of life, it will give the Emirates new economic sector and another place to which the Humans are heading. This is what the United Arab Emirates announced through its project to put humans on Mars by 2117, which is similar to Earth in its desert and beautiful red color. Here is the Emirati “Probe of Hope” taking off on a historic journey beyond the moon and the first of its kind in the Arab world to Mars, in order to arrive, Allah willing, in February 2021, in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary or the golden jubilee of the establishment of the United Arab Emirates, in which Emirati thought and action stand out together in a short period of time, thanks to the wisdom of its leadership that has achieved the impossibility with regard to successful projects in the renewable energy, the peaceful nuclear energy, the artificial intelligence and others, based on the scientific contribution of the Arabs and serving mankind and its future.
As the United Arab Emirates has confirmed its leadership on earth; it is now confirming its leadership in space, as a global platform for the ambitious Arab parties to study space. The Emirati diplomacy in the context of scientific partnerships and Emirati values rooted in tolerance and coexistence within a modern society has enabled “The Emirates Space Agency” “Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center” to adopt the “Probe of Hope” project and to transfer knowledge to an Emirati team consisting of 200 researchers and engineers of various complex scientific disciplines, and 34% of the team members are women, as they are also supported by other teams in the United Arab Emirates, I’m proud to say that one of its members is from my family, with the aim of answering in Arabic the scientific questions that have puzzled scientists. The “Hope Probe” is only a beginning, and a strong first step that will give the United Arab Emirates an abundance of scientific competencies specialized in the space sciences. We refer to the vision of Sheikh Zayed for his sons to ascend into the space, which the United Arab Emirates is achieving today under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with distinguished Emirati potentialities, saying “Hello, the seeker, we send the greetings of the government of United Arab Emirates and its people from outside the earth to Mars, so is there anyone listening to us!”
