The National Space Science Agency (NSSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency are keen to enhance relationships with strategic partners.

Under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Space Agency (NSSA), and in the presence of Dr. Mohamed E. Al-Aseeri, NSSA’s Chief Executive Officer, an information seminar was jointly arranged with the UAE Space Agency.

Delivered using online visual technology, the event was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al-Ameeri, the UAE’s Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Leader of the UAE’s Mars Discovery Team ‘Hope Probe’, in the presence of Eng. Dr. Mohammed Nasser Al-Ahbabi, Director-General of the UAE Space Agency as well as Dr. Khalid Al-Hashimi and Eng. Nasser Al-Hammadi, representatives from the UAE Space Agency.

At the beginning of the seminar H.E. Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, delivered a welcome speech in which he praised the close relationships between the two fellow countries, the growing cooperation in the field of space sciences, and the UAE’s experience in space sciences. He highlighted the most prominent results and achievements that the United Arab Emirates has made in various fields, and in the space sector in particular. ‘The United Arab Emirates has become a role model for many countries around the world’ he said. This was followed by a brief introduction to the seminar, the key speaker of both parties and to the participants. After completing the main comments and discussions, questions were raised regarding the cooperation between the two countries, a project about building a Bahraini satellite, and on the latest developments on the ‘Hope Probe’. The probe will be launched in a mission to Mars on Wednesday 15th July 2020 from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan.

The NSSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mohamed E. Al-Aseeri, pointed out that the cooperation between both parties stemmed from the early stages of the UAE Space Agency and NSSA’s establishment in 2014. The cooperation grew and resulted in a number of joint projects in exchange for expertise, information and improving on national capabilities. For example, a Bahraini space team group received a scholarship from the UAE Space Agency to complete their higher education at Khalifa University, as well as for the construction of joint satellites. A number of workshops were also organized in space science fields at national levels. Dr. Al-Aseeri emphasized that the cooperation between the two countries is continuous and that more joint projects will be implemented in the future for the benefit of both states, contributing to achieving the visions of both leaderships, and will further contribute to prosperity and progress.

H.E. Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed and Dr. Mohamed E. Al-Aseeri, concluded by congratulating the United Arab Emirates on its major historical achievement, which was completed by the hands of Emirati citizens, and for which Bahrain marked a historic event for the people of the region and for the Arab homeland in general.