The United Arab Emirates launched a regional space cooperation program, the first project of which will be the launch of a satellite.
On March 19, 2019, at the opening of the Global Space Congress in Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, announced the creation of the Arab Space Cooperation Group. In addition to the UAE, it also includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan and Kuwait.
Representatives of eleven states signed an agreement on cooperation in the development of the space program, which is aimed at sharing knowledge and working on joint projects. The main task of the group is the development of the space industry in the Arab world.
The group’s first project will be a satellite built by Arab scientists in the UAE. The satellite will be called "813", which pays tribute to an important date in the history of the Arab world.
"We named the new satellite" 813 "in connection with the date that marked the beginning of the prosperity of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under the rule of Caliph al-Mamun," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.
The satellite will be built by engineers and scientists from all 11 countries of the group. According to Dr. Mohammed Al-Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, he will be focused on solving the problems of climate and the environment in the Arab world and other parts of the globe.
