VIENNA, 28 October (UN Information Service) – The capacity-building portfolio under the Access to Space for All Initiative of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is expanding. UNOOSA and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote technical development and cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

• Emirates Lunar Mission’s ‘Rashid’ rover to go to the Moon on ispace’s Mission 1 in 2022
• ispace to provide payload delivery, and communication and power services for the rover
• Agreement further strengthens UAE-Japan collaboration in space exploration

Dubai, UAE, 14 April 2021 (ispace PR) — The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed a contract with Japan’s ispace, inc. (ispace), under which the latter will provide payload delivery services for the ambitious Emirates Lunar Mission. Under this agreement, ispace becomes a key strategic and implementation partner to MBRSC on the Emirates Lunar Mission, the first of its kind from the Arab world.

New batch of astronauts set to be announced in January 2021

DUBAI (Dubai Media Office PR) — The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) today announced that 14 candidates have qualified for the final phase of the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, which aims to train and prepare a team of Emiratis for scientific space missions, as part of the UAE’s National Space Programme. The selected candidates will now undergo final interviews conducted by a committee consisting of specialists from MBRSC, including Emirati astronauts Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan AlNeyadi along with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Jessica Meir.