Credit: CIC Saudi Arabia

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Saudi Arabia’s non-binding agreement to invest $1 billion in Richard Branson’s three space companies is part of a broader set of ventures that includes Branson’s Virgin Group investing in a new mega city on the Red Sea and suborbital space tourism flights from the Saudi capital.

“Branson has become the first international investor to commit to involvement in the Red Sea Project and nearby Al Ola/Madain Saleh, another prime site for the development of tourism, both domestic and international,” the Saudi government proudly announced on Oct. 1, more than three weeks before the space deal was unveiled.

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The nonbinding memorandum of understanding involving $1 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia is Richard Branson’s latest success in obtaining financial support from governments for his Virgin Group’s space companies. The table below shows funding invested directly into the group’s space ventures and indirectly for infrastructure. VIRGIN GROUP SPACE COMPANIES — DIRECT & INDIRECT GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT YEAR GOVERNMENT AMOUNT (MILLIONS) PURPOSE 2006 New Mexico ~$225  Custom built spaceport named Spaceport […]

KAZKOSMOS PR — In the period from Nov. 11 to 17, a Kazkosmos delegation headed by Chairman Talgat Musabayev is participating in the “Dubai Air Show 2011” being held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). As part of “Dubai Air Show 2011”, the Kazkosmos delegation plans to meet with representatives of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology of the United Arab Emirates to discuss cooperation in space activities. At the […]

An international Islamic organization is embarking on an ambitious “Mega” project aimed at allowing its member nations to catch up to the West in building and using satellites and communications technologies. The effort has the backing of cash flush Saudi Arabia, emerging power Turkey, the populous Asian states of Indonesia and Malaysia, and Kazakhstan, which has its own spaceport.

The Mega project was kicked off during a January meeting in Islamabad of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a 57-nation inter-governmental organization with members on four continents. At the gathering, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said cooperation would help the Islamic world reverse centuries of technological decline:

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Saudi’s KACST signs two agreements with NASA Zawya.com Saudi Arabia city of King Abdulaziz for Science and Technology (KACST) signed here on Saturday two agreements in the fields of Space Geodesy and Aeronautics in addition to a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) in the fields of space and aviation with US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The signing ceremony came following the opening session of the Saudi International Conference for […]

Sultan Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud

KACST celebrating silver jubilee of Prince Sultan’s space trip
Arab News.com

An elaborate program to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the Kingdom’s participation in the international space program led by Prince Sultan bin Salman has been drawn up by the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) together with NASA. The two-day celebrations are to start on Saturday.

“The celebrations will include a major space and aeronautics technology conference in which Saudi and NASA experts will make presentations and share their views,” said Dr. Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel, KACST president.

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

The National Review looked a bit more into Charles Bolden’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia. Based on NASA Public Affairs Officer John Yembrick’s reply, which he forwarded to me (see below), there’s nothing much there.

The Saudi Arabia visit is part of a larger three-nation tour involving aerospace conferences in each location. Bolden will spend next week in Prague at the 61st International Astronautical Conference. This is the largest space conference in the world, and it is attended by the heads of the all the world’s space agencies.

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Sultan Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting on a trip that NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden is taking to the Middle East, something that is bound to once again raise the ire of conservative pundits:

Bolden — against the advice of several top NASA officials — intends to lead a high-level agency delegation to Saudi Arabia this weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first Arab astronaut’s shuttle flight.
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NASA PRESS RELEASE

NASA and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have signed a joint statement that allows for collaboration in lunar and asteroid science research. The partnership recognizes the Saudi Lunar and Near-Earth Object Science Center as an affiliate partner with the NASA Lunar Science Institute at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

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