The U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C., U.A.E. Space Agency, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Mission to the U.A.E., and U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a dinner on Monday, December 9, 2024, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Grand Canal in Abu Dhabi to set the stage for the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, taking place from 10-11 December 2024. This event brought together the Director General of the U.A.E. Space Agency H.E. Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) H.E. Salem Humaid Al Marri, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. Martina Strong, and representatives from the aerospace industry, government, and academia to discuss the U.A.E.’s burgeoning space sector and opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

The Honorable Martina Strong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E., highlighted the shared ambitions of the United States and the U.A.E. in the space sector. She spoke of her visits to the U.A.E. Space Agency and MBRSC and cited ongoing projects that offer opportunities for U.S. industry to collaborate even more closely with the U.A.E. Ambassador Strong praised the U.A.E.’s role in the Artemis Accords, of which the U.A.E. is a founding signatory, and the U.A.E.’s partnership in the Artemis Project with NASA on the Lunar Gateway Program.

H.E. Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the U.A.E. Space Agency, spoke about the U.A.E. Space Agency’s current projects, including the Emirates Mars Mission and the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. H.E. Al Qubaisi highlighted the U.A.E. Space Agency’s commitment to cooperation and knowledge sharing with the United States to build a sustainable and dynamic space relationship. He previewed the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, including its aim to foster dialogue among the space industry and decision makers.

The event included two panel discussions: one on the Artemis Accords. Michael Overby, Deputy Director of the Office of Space Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, spoke about the development and goals of the Artemis Accords, a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. He emphasized the importance of the Accords for future space exploration missions and lauded the U.A.E.’s role as a founding signatory. Adnan Al Rais, Assistant Director General of the MBRSC, highlighted the U.A.E.’s growing role in the global space ecosystem, a result of the U.A.E’s involvement in the Artemis Accords. He spoke about MBRSC’s ongoing projects and missions that promote international cooperation in space exploration while helping to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.

The second panel, moderated by Steve Lutes, on which Karim Sabbagh, Managing Director of Space42, outlined Space42’s goals and ambitions in space and how Space42 is focusing on the next frontier of deploying technology and AI in space, which will have a remarkable impact for societies on Earth. Frank Backes, CEO of Capella Space, discussed Capella Space’s projects and capabilities ideal for collaboration with the U.A.E., such as expanding manufacturing capabilities and technology sharing. Robbie Schingler, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at PlanetLabs, highlighted PlanetLabs’ work in the space sector, and argued that “there is no better place to do business than the U.A.E.” Mike Gold, Chief Growth Officer at Redwire Space, spoke about the importance of the U.A.E.’s role as a founding member of the Artemis Accords saying that “the road to the Moon goes through the U.A.E.”

Please click here to read a recently published report by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council on the U.A.E.’s growing space sector.

For questions about this event and the Business Council’s work in the space sector, please contact Amira Siddiqi at asiddiqi@usuaebusiness.org.