The UAE Joins the Space Race with Ambitious Plans for Mars Colonization
The idea of sending humans to live on Mars is not new to NASA or SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk. However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently revealed a mysterious plan in the “space race.”
According to their announcement, the first human city on Mars is set to be built by 2117. This initiative is part of a 100-year national program aimed at gaining deeper insights into the Red Planet.
UAE’s Mars Mission Project. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
Exterior View of the City. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
The UAE announced this ambitious plan in February 2017, and the first images released by the Dubai Media Office help us visualize this grand project.
Since 1965, four nations have successfully sent either humans or satellites to Mars: NASA (USA), the former Soviet Union, the European Space Agency, and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Inside the City. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
UAE’s Ambition for Mars Colonization. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
NASA has the highest success rate (70%) among these nations. Japan and China have attempted missions but have yet to succeed in reaching Mars.
Now, the UAE is the latest nation to enter this space race. Saeed Al Gergawi, the director of the Mars 2117 program at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), announced this ambitious goal at the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C.
3D Model of the City on Mars. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
This project will explore how humans can live on Mars and how to produce energy and food on the planet.
The First Arab City on Mars.
NASA also has similar plans but on a shorter timeline, aiming to send the first humans to Mars by 2030.
Arabs Entering the Space Race. (Image from the Internet).
Blueprint of the City on Mars. (Image from Dubai Media Office).
Will Arabs Succeed in this Space Race? (Image from Dubai Media Office).
Prince Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud was the first Muslim to go to space in 1985. Will the Arabs make history this time by successfully establishing a human presence on Mars?