As part of the UAE’s involvement in the Artemis lunar exploration mission, the UAE has committed to creating an airlock module for the lunar Gateway.
NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the UAE announced a collaboration on January 7, where the UAE will provide the Gateway Crew and Science Airlock. With this module, Gateway crews will be able to conduct spacewalks outside the Gateway and install and retrieve external science payloads.
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As part of the announcement, Hamdan bin Mohammed, the crown prince of Dubai, stated in a social media post that the airlock is expected to be completed by 2030, although the exact timeline was not provided. The UAE will also be able to participate in future Artemis missions as part of the agreement.
“The United States and the United Arab Emirates are marking a historic moment in our nations’ collaboration in space, as well as the future of human space exploration,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. With the UAE’s airlock provided to Gateway, astronauts will be able to conduct groundbreaking science in deep space and prepare to send humanity to Mars in the future.
An extension of the International Space Station partnership, the lunar Gateway involved contributions from the United States, Europe, Japan, and Canada. With the Gateway orbiting the moon in a nearrectilinear halo orbit, lunar landings will be possible in the southern polar region. In 2025, a Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the propulsion element and habitation module for its construction.
In addition to the successful Hope mission, which entered Mars orbit in February 2021, this agreement represents the UAE’s most recent achievement in the space program. As part of the Crew-6 mission last year, UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi extended his mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
As well as the NASA-led Artemis program, the UAE is interested in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) led by China.
The UAE was one of the initial eight signatories of the Artemis Accords, which establish guidelines for responsible space exploration, but do not guarantee participation.
“This is a historic development and the culmination of momentum that began when the UAE became a founding signatory to the Artemis Accords,” said Mike Gold, the Chief Growth Officer at Redwire and former NASA official who played a part in shaping the Accords, in a statement to SpaceNews.
In times when the world is facing conflict and strife, space exploration brings us together in a way no other field can. “Gateway represents the physical expression of Artemis’ international nature,” he said. By building the literal doorway to the moon, UAE has further expanded the unique global partnership at the heart of Artemis.”
