The UAE is set to launch human space missions every three to five years, as part of the expansion of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) space exploration missions.
Launched in 2006, MBRSC has, within a few years, made massive advances in their technological and scientific capabilities.
MBRSC has already started planning for new large-scale interplanetary missions that are set to further accelerate space engineering, scientific research and exploration capabilities.
The UAE is set to cross new frontiers in space, and aims to increase the global space economy to over Dhs 3.67 trillion ($1 trillion) by 2040.
In 2018, astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi were selected as part of the first batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme.
The UAE sent its first astronaut to the International Space Station in September 2019, making Hazzaa Al Mansoori the first Arab to visit the orbiting laboratory, followed by a six-month-long mission with Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who arrived at the International Space Station in March 2023.
In 2021, Nora Al Matrooshi, the first female Arab astronaut and Mohammad Al Mulla, were chosen during the second batch.
Through the Hope Probe launched in 2020, the UAE was able to collect data from Mars, from its weather patterns to its climate history.