Arab Space Agency ‘definitely possible’

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

Quite similar to the European Space Agency, an Arab intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, comprising nations in the region is very much a future possibility, a leading Egyptian space scientist has opined.

Dr Mohammed Ibrahim of the Egyptian Space Agency spoke to The Daily Tribune on the sidelines of Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) 2022 yesterday.

“United Arab Emirates is emerging as a leader in the region in the space sector. Other nations such as Bahrain, Egypt are excelling in the field and there is ongoing cooperation in the space sector between the Arab nations.

“If we can take this cooperation between the Arab nations to the next level, the Arab Space Agency will definitely become a reality,” Dr Mohammed said. He said the Egypt Space Agency has achieved many milestones in recent times.

“In 2017, the Egyptian Parliament approved a draft law on establishing Egypt’s first Space Agency to launch the North African country’s first satellite dedicated to scientific research.

A year after, the government announced yet another grand project; the establishment of Egypt’s Space City.

“In 2018 two satellites were launched into space, one through a collaboration with the Japanese Space Agency, and another through NASA.

This year SpaceX successfully launched an Egyptian satellite Nilesat 301 into space.

“Most recently though, in 2022, the launch of the second phase of Space City was announced, making it clear that Egypt is heading slowly, but surely in the direction of space technology and joining the world’s space club.

“Egypt’s Space City is an outstanding project, to be built on an area of 123 acres and containing 23 buildings for different sectors of space-related work, four buildings have been built so far and five more are still in the works, the buildings include a hotel for guests, a fully-equipped modern library for space research, and a space museum for the public, indeed, a first for Egypt and the Arab world.

It is supposed to be completed by 2026.” The space scientist said Egypt and Bahrain are having a “highest level cooperation” in the space sector.

The Kingdom’s first-ever satellite was launched into orbit from the International Space Station earlier this year.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency coordinated the launch of the “Light-1” satellite from the Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, where the launch was transmitted live on Bahrain TV and social media channels.

The “Light-1” satellite represents the first scientific mission in the region to monitor and study terrestrial gamma rays emitted by lightning and thunderstorms.

The data collected by Light-1 will be shared with the aim of utilising space science to support sustainable economic development on a global level to support scientific analyses and encourage co-operation with research centers around the world.

The satellite was launched from aboard the SpaceX Dragon CRS-24 cargo spacecraft via a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US on December 21, 2021.