In line with the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain to develop education in line with the twenty-first century skills, and to keep pace with the actual needs of the labor market, on the 10th July 2023, The National Space Science Agency (NSSA), represented by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al-Aseeri, signed a memorandum of understanding with Brilliant Remote Sensing Labs (BRS-Labs), which is the first authorized agent for the development of education for the American company Hexagon. It is also the first company in the world to offer an integrated educational program via the Internet, specialized in theoretical and practical training, placement exams, and the issuance of specialized certificates in remote sensing, space technology, and satellites, as part of the Agency’s efforts to achieve its vision set by His Majesty the King, may God protect him, to place the Kingdom of Bahrain amongst developed countries in the field of space.

On this occasion, Dr. Al-Aseeri stated, “We are pleased to sign this agreement today, which will greatly contribute to motivating students to take an interest in scientific disciplines. It will also enrich the knowledge of the target group of talented and distinguished Bahraini students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. All of this is consistent with the strategic objectives of the Agency and contributes to the realization of its main initiatives, looking forward to more joint cooperation with international agencies and institutions and on a wider scale to serve the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

This cooperation resulted in the provision of more than 100 free seats for students between the ages of 12 to 16 years, so that their participation in electronic courses during the summer period provides the opportunity to obtain certificates for those who pass the study, practical application and exams for the courses (certificate of emerging astronaut, certificate of certified emerging satellite image analyst and interpreter, certificate of satellite image processor and certified emerging remote sensing specialist).

Mr. Ayman Salem, CEO of the company, said: “The company was honored to achieve a distinguished success story in the Kingdom of Bahrain by presenting its educational program to participating schools during 2022 and 2023, and I hope that the fruitful cooperation between us and the National Space Science Agency will continue in the coming years so that the experience will spread to many schools in the Kingdom. I would also like to thank Hexagon, for providing its software, specialized in remote sensing and analysis of satellite images to students, which is the same software used by international space agencies and leading major institutions in this field. Finally, I wish our students continued success and excellence, and that the number of participating students will increase in the coming years, God willing.”

Al-Aseeri also indicated that this agreement establishes a fruitful beginning to open broad horizons for greater cooperation in the coming years, adding that the National Space Science Agency pays great attention to education and training in the space sector and its various sciences, which have become an essential part of the list of future sciences, in its belief in the importance of this sector and what it will reflect positively on the future of the Kingdom, and put it in the ranks of developed countries.

It is worth noting that BRS-Labs is the owner and founder of the Remote Sensing Portal, which taught space sciences and remote sensing and conducted exams for more than 1,300 undergraduate students and graduates from 114 countries from different continents of the world, and a supporting member of the largest and oldest international institution specialized in remote sensing in the world, the International Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing ISPRS. The company was chosen by the United Nations through the World Food Program to conduct a training program in the field of remote sensing to qualify and prepare cadres for a group of African countries, and was previously chosen by the Egyptian Space Agency to establish their online education system, which bears the name “Space Technology Portal” or EgSA Space Technology Portal.