As the UAE sends its first space probe to Mars, it’s time the world launches a project for humans to land on the red planet
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) just launched a space probe destined for Mars on top of a Japanese rocket. While launching such a mission of discovery is par for the course for many space powers, including India, this is the first such advanced satellite launch by the UAE. Several of the seven Emirates that make up that nation have pinned hopes and dreams of establishing their own spaceports for commercial space travel. However, with little history or traction of space research or rocketry, nations like the UAE might find it difficult to compete even with the likes of China and India, let alone the US or Russia to attract space researchers, scientists and even a plethora of private companies entering the space sector. This probe, therefore, is a statement of intent more than anything else. By now, we have a greater understanding of the Martian surface than we do of the bottom of our own ocean.
Whether the UAE is successful or not in attracting talent and companies to its shores remains to be seen. Space, after all, is a Government-dominated and highly nationalistic sector. Even private ventures like Elon Musk’s SpaceX are greatly funded by the US Government. Musk is clear that he wants to lead the way for the US to recolonise space. That said, in these troubled times, when countries are scrounging around for every penny, maybe it is time that an international collaboration for the flight back to the moon and the eventual flight to Mars is formally established. While most space agencies like India’s ISRO and the US’ NASA do collaborate and share research with each other, those are mainly around informal lines. A formal agreement to collaborate might leave some nations displeased but it would mean better utilisation of resources for all involved. The exploration of the planets and outer space is in the end a project for all humanity and not for the glory of one nation-state over another.