NASA and UAE Space Agency sign peaceful space exploration agreement
NASA and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency have entered into an agreement that will result in the duo working together for certain aeronautics research, NASA announced on Sunday. This agreement will see NASA and the UAE Space Agency cooperating in the use of airspace and the exploration of said airspace "for peaceful purposes," said the space agency, with the deal ultimately serving to aid NASA's ambitious plan to get humans to Mars.
Yesterday in Abu Dhabi, NASA Administrator Charles Boden and the UAE Space Agency's chairman Dr. Khalifa Al Romaithi signed the deal. According to Bolden, experts from both space agencies have already been in talks about "mutual interest" categories; this deal will see the two working together in the areas of aeronautics, space operations, space science, operational Earth observation and Earth science, mission assurance and safety, and more.
The two space agencies are also looking to branch out and launch educational and public programs and workshops. As well, both the UAE Space Agency and NASA have signed an Implementing Arrangement that, among other things, aims specially to open the doors for talks about future projects that will get humans to Mars. The first collaboration between the two agencies will focus on getting to explore Mars.
Speaking about the deal, Al Romaithi said:
The United Arab Emirates and the United States of America are long-standing allies and have deep economic, cultural and diplomatic ties. We at the UAE Space Agency genuinely welcome the opportunity to collaborate and work with the USA and NASA in the fields of aeronautics, space science, and the peaceful exploration of outer space toward the common goal of fostering the well-being of humankind ... The reason why cooperation and collaboration are important to the UAESA is because we believe that working alongside international partners is the best way to accelerate the development of space technologies and the space sector within the UAE.
SOURCE: NASA