*** ----> UAE joins eight-country space exploration force | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

UAE joins eight-country space exploration force

The UAE Space Agency (UAESA) has signed Nasa's Artemis Accords to promote safe and responsible international space cooperation, thus joining the other seven signatory countries to ink the deal.

The signing ceremony was held at the 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC), running between October 12 and 14, 2020.

The Artemis program includes sending the first woman and the next man to the surface of the Moon in 2024. The accords will also advance international partnerships that will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon later this decade while preparing to conduct a historic human mission to Mars.

The virtual event hosted by Nasa was attended by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chair of the UAE Space Agency, and Jim Bridenstine, Nasa Administrator, along with the heads of the space agencies of Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.

The UAE is committed to the advancement of space exploration while ensuring the sustainability of space. The Accords align with the UAE's long-term programs to explore outer space and collaborate internationally on a better understanding of our solar system.