The UAE Space Agency received a high-level Japanese delegation from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) at the Agency’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi this week. H.E. Dr. Khalifa Al Romaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, welcomed the delegation led by MHI’s Vice President of Integrated Defense & Space Systems.
During the meeting attended by the UAE Space Agency’s Director General, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi and Japan’s Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Mr. Kanji Fujiki, Al Romaithi emphasized the deeply rooted partnership between the UAE Space Agency and its Japanese counterparts in the fields of space science and technology.
The parties discussed mechanisms of cooperation in the fields of space science, exploration, and technology. The meeting also included a detailed discussion of the Emirates Mars Mission’s Hope Probe spacecraft, scheduled to be launched by MHI in 2020. Al Romaithi expressed his appreciation for MHI’s support and cooperation in regards to the launching of the Hope Probe.
The UAE Space Agency signed a strategic memorandum of cooperation with the Japanese government last year. This represented an important step towards the development of the UAE’s space sector. The agreement established a framework for strategic cooperation between the two countries in the short and long term.
Earlier in 2016, the UAE Space Agency signed another memorandum of understanding with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) along with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. This memorandum includes an agreement on cooperation between both parties in exploring space, using outer space for peaceful purposes, developing scientific and experimental satellites, and remote sensing, in addition to cooperation in communication and the exchange of information, research, and the organization of lectures and joint research conferences.