The steering committee includes representatives from the UAE Space Agency, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), UAE Ministry of Defence, Space42, FADA, Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Thales Group, Airbus Defence and Space, DSMC, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Simonetta Di Pippo and Informa Markets, while being chaired by  Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General at the UAE Space Agency.

Al Qubaisi said, “The Dubai Airshow 2025 today represents a vital strategic platform for the development of the national space sector. It offers a unique opportunity to showcase national capabilities and advanced technologies that enable us to strengthen our global presence in this vital field.” He added, “The Space Steering Committee goes beyond the concept of traditional exhibitions to create a truly interactive platform that embodies the National Space Strategy by translating it into practical programs and projects that support national initiatives in achieving the economic goals of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, and the new economic model adopted by the UAE.”

He added:“Through this exceptional event, we aim to build an integrated network of international partnerships, in addition to highlighting national capabilities and activating new commercial pathways in the space sector—reflecting our commitment to comprehensive and forward-looking planning aimed at enhancing the UAE’s leadership in the field of space.”

Set to deliver the most expansive space programme in the event’s history, Dubai Airshow 2025 will feature a dedicated Space Pavilion, a two-day Space Conference, enhanced astronaut participation and an expanded display of space technologies. This reflects the UAE’s position as a leading player in the global space industry through ambitious missions, technological innovations and international collaborations.

Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director General, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said: “MBRSC is proud to support an evolving space agenda that not only reflects our national priorities but also aligns with international collaboration and scientific excellence. At Dubai Airshow 2025, we aim to highlight the breakthroughs that have shaped our journey, from Earth observation to deep space exploration, and invite the world to engage with the UAE’s vision.”

During the committee meeting, stakeholders agreed on a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration between public and private actors across the sector to showcase the UAE’s growing space capabilities.

Displays of space technologies and future missions, engaging panel discussions with international space leaders and high-level delegation meetings will be a key focus at the event. Startups and university students will also have a platform to showcase their innovations and an opportunity for scale up through investor meetings, mentorship clinics, pitch competitions and more. 

Astronaut engagement will play a central role across the five-day event, with accomplished past and current astronauts participating in the event programme, including the space conference, media outreach, youth programming, and industry leadership discussions.

The discussions were closely aligned with the UAE National Space Strategy 2030, which emphasises international cooperation, commercialisation of space technologies, and investment in youth and research. According to Euroconsult , the Middle East’s space sector is poised to reach 75 billion US dollars by 2032, underscoring the growing regional momentum in exploration, sustainability and satellite applications.

Tim Hawes of Informa Markets commented: “Space is no longer a side conversation – it is a central pillar of aerospace progress. The Dubai Airshow is evolving to reflect that, with our 2025 edition set to feature the region’s largest space presence to date. Through close collaboration with leading stakeholders, we are creating a platform where government, industry and innovators can come together to accelerate investment, partnerships and talent development in the global space sector.”

Dubai Airshow 2025 will take place from 17 to 21 November at Dubai World Central (DWC). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the event is supported by Dubai Airports, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Defence, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and the UAE Space Agency.”

This is a pivotal moment in the satellite’s lifecycle, confirming the satellite’s readiness to proceed to the final stages of environmental testing.

The review, conducted with the participation of senior leadership from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), experts from the UAE Space Agency, and representatives from several technical entities, involved a comprehensive evaluation of subsystem readiness, final design verification, thermal and mechanical test plans, as well as confirmation of the successful integration between the payload and the platform.

His Excellency Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director-General of UAE Space Agency, said: “The Arab Satellite 813 Project reflects the UAE’s commitment to fostering joint Arab action in the space sector and its strategic vision to reinforce the region’s position in advanced space industries. It also supports leading initiatives that unite Arab efforts and open new horizons for youth and Arab scientists and researchers.”

Al Qubaisi added: “We believe that Arab cooperation in scientific fields is the foundation for building a future built on knowledge and innovation. This new achievement will certainly enhance Arab countries’ ability to develop space solutions that support environmental sustainability and comprehensive development.”

Al Qubaisi continued: “Space is a powerful and a strategic tool for building a diversified economy. Enabling local and Arab talents to lead qualitative global projects is the result of a long-term vision that invests in youth, science, and regional integration. The UAE will continue to support every Arab project that reflects our common ambitions and strengthens our position in the future knowledge-based economy."

Ali Al Shehhi, Director of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), said: “The completion of the SIR for the Arab Satellite 813 is more than a technical achievement, it is a defining moment in our region’s journey towards space self-reliance and scientific leadership.”

Al Shehhi added: “This milestone reaffirms the UAE’s commitment to enabling Arab collaboration in space, and to harnessing advanced technologies for environmental monitoring, knowledge transfer, and sustainable development. We are proud to lead a program that carries regional purpose and global potential.”

The Arab Satellite 813 Project is the first space cooperation project between the Arab countries led by the UAE. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai announced Satellite 813 as a present to the Arab Space Cooperation Group at the Global Space Conference, in light of signing the charter of establishment. The UAE Space Agency funds and supervises the project while the National Space Science and Technology Center in UAE University leads the execution of the project in collaboration with members of the Arab Space Cooperation Group.

The project will assist in environmental mapping and monitoring, archiving phenomena as well as identifying natural resources, studying land cover dynamics and crop conditions, analysing internal water quality and spread, evaluating land erosion and soil pollution versus climate, mining site conditions, in addition to geological exploration and detection of rare earth minerals (RE), and essential minerals.

Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, director-general of the UAE Space Agency, said: “This agreement is a key milestone in the Arab space cooperation journey. It reflects the UAE's strategic vision, and its belief that space represents a promising gateway to achieving sustainable development, nurturing knowledge exchange, and developing innovative solutions to pressing challenges.”

Al Qubaisi added: “Our cooperation with Egypt confirms our commitment to investing in people, localising knowledge, building a competitive knowledge-based economy founded on innovation and leadership, and achieving a more prosperous future for our people.”

The agreement signed with the Egyptian Space Agency aims to support sustainable development efforts, empower national talents, and harness space technologies to serve communities. It also seeks to promote scientific research and the development of space applications for peaceful purposes, in line with the UAE's vision to establish its position as a trusted regional and international partner in the space sector.

The agreement sets out a long-term framework for cooperation in the field of civil space through the exchange of expertise, research, and technology, as well as the launch of joint projects that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals of both countries.

The cooperation between the two parties covers various fields, including communication technologies, navigation and timing, Earth observation and remote sensing, space situational awareness, remote asset management, and research and development in emerging and advanced technologies. This agreement reflects the UAE’s commitment to strengthening its regional and international presence in the space sector and its keenness to expand its network of strategic partnerships with Arab countries. It reinforces shared interests, supports the development of national space systems, and contributes to leveraging science and technology to achieve a more sustainable and resilient future.

A key milestone in the programme’s timeline, this review aims to discuss the details and latest updates related to the development of the MBR explorer and its readiness to proceed to the next phase of Assembly, Integration and Test.

Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said: “We are truly proud of this achievement. Completing this phase of EMA successfully embodies the UAE’s vision of turning ambitions into realities.”

Al Qubaisi added: “The mission represents an advanced step in our journey of scientific innovation. It contributes to bolstering our position in deep space exploration, and opens promising horizons in the fields of technology, education, and economy for future generations.” He also emphasised the importance of building capabilities in scientific and technical fields within this vital sector.

The critical design review comprises of a comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the program, from detailed designs of the spacecraft and its subsystems to precise engineering drawings, manufacturing, assembly, integration and test plans. It also includes an analysis of the expected performance to ensure that the strategic objectives of the mission are achieved, comprehensive test plans to ensure that components are ready to operate in the harsh environments of space, assessment of potential risks and the development of effective strategies to manage them. It also includes the review of the mission schedule.

Mohsen Al Awadhi, Mission Director - EMA, stressed that the mission primarily focuses on building capabilities and ensuring broad participation of the private sector. He further emphasised that the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt is more than a journey beyond our planet, it is a bold step toward a future of innovation, scientific excellence, and global leadership in deep space exploration programmes.

He highlighted that the critical design review is crucial to ensure the success of any space programme, during which the focus is on verifying the readiness of the systems, achieving the desired scientific goals, enhancing coordination between different teams, reducing potential risks, and complying with international standards and regulations. He affirmed that this review yielded positive results and successfully achieved its objectives, reflecting remarkable progress in the National Team’s capabilities, and reinforcing the preparations for the mission launch.

EMA consists of a six-year spacecraft design and development phase followed by launch and a seven-year mission to the main asteroid belt beyond Mars, performing a series of close flybys to make a series of observations of seven main belt asteroids, and finally landing on Justitia. The MBR Explorer will carry advanced scientific devices that will work together to achieve the mission’s scientific objectives. The mission's objectives focus on understanding the origins and evolution of water-rich asteroids and evaluating the possibility of using asteroids as resources for future space exploration missions.

SANSA began tracking the spacecraft soon after launch when it entered its coverage area and will continue providing support to the Athena lander for several days after it lands on the Moon’s surface.

“Lunar missions like IM-2 are a unique opportunity for SANSA to showcase its capabilities and contribute meaningfully to the global space community,” said Tiaan Strydom, SANSA Space Operations Acting Executive Director. “Our preparations for this mission are designed to ensure excellence and seamless support services for the contracted duration of the mission.”

According to Intuitive Machines, “IM-2 mission represents a significant leap forward in lunar exploration, ready to demonstrate water hunting infrastructure services on the Moon’s surface. IM-2 is set to demonstrate lunar mobility, resource prospecting, and analysis of volatile substances from subsurface materials, a critical step toward uncovering water sources beyond Earth—a key component for establishing sustainable infrastructure both on the lunar surface and in space.” 

“Lunar missions are complex and costly; therefore, every phase of the mission requires precision and diligence. We are honoured that Intuitive Machines has placed trust in our capabilities to support IM-2, continuing our support from IM-1”, Strydom commented.

The IM-2 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, helping lay the foundation for human missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. 

SANSA’s  26-metre and 12-metre diameter antennas are deployed to track the spacecraft using high-frequency radio signals in the space agency’s southern hemisphere’s coverage area, ensuring it remains on course. 

In preparation for the launch, teams from SANSA and Intuitive Machines conducted joint simulations and rigorous equipment tests at the Hartebeesthoek site. 

Strydom concluded that, “supporting missions such as IM-2 speaks to SANSA’s strategic goal to increase the generation of space-relevant knowledge and enhances South Africa’s contribution to space innovation and competitiveness.  Moreover, SANSA’s role in IM-1 and IM-2 reinforces South Africa’s commitment to fostering international partnerships and advancing humanity’s shared knowledge of space.”

This was warned by space officials at the International Defence Conference (IDC) on Sunday.

“Space has become a domain for warfighting,” Mohamed Alahbabi, Edge Group’s senior advisor, space and cyber technologies, said at the event, adding that that is making it “subject to threats”.

The biggest threat, he said, is from anti-satellite systems, while noting that cyber-attacks on ground infrastructure that are hard to pinpoint, jamming and space debris are other areas of concern. While there are natural threats to space systems, such as solar flares, Alahbabi said “I think it's human made threats that loom in the future.”

Capella Space CEO Frank Backes echoed the sentiment. “These are threats that we are seeing on a continuous basis. We're seeing threats against our satellites, in the terrestrial domain, in our ground infrastructure, coming through traditional cyber security threats, but we're also seeing threats in the RF domain, both against our command and control of our satellites, but also in the payload and direct intentional electronic warfare threats against our systems.”

Capella Space, which provides synthetic aperture radar imagery from space, has had to upgrade its systems to harden them against attacks, he said. SpaceX previously also said it had to make changes to its Starlink satellite communications links after Russian attempts to disrupt its data provision.

Backes argues that with the lines blurring between military, civil and commercial space systems, dealing with threats requires a broad approach, likening it to the need for cyber protection more widely.

“How do we create our infrastructure just like we have in the terrestrial networking world, in using the Internet every day. We all operate in a high-threat environment on a continuous basis, whether it's on our phones, our corporate networks, or in our homes. We have to operate through this environment, and our space systems need to be architected and set up to operate in the same way.”

There are other areas of concern, too, from less nefarious sources. Elias Tsoutsanis, the acting chief researcher of the UAE’s Propulsion and Space Research Center, Technology Innovation Institute said: “We're going to see space becoming much more congested.”

The growing number of satellites on orbit could narrow launch windows to try to avoid them, he said, and is driving a need for improved space situational awareness.

One of the company’s Zephyr solar-powered stratospheric aircraft made a 13-day flight from the company’s so-called Aaltoport in Laikipia County, Kenya, during January.

The flight was the highest and longest unrefueled flight over Africa yet and allowed the company to begin using its Elvis powered vehicle to launch the aircraft, a process that has traditionally been done by hand. 

According to Aalto, the aircraft flew more than 13 days over 60,000 ft. in Kenyan airspace, testing what the company calls a direct-to-device payload allowing devices such cell phones the ability to receive 4G/5G connectivity when in remote areas away from static masts. 

Companies increasingly see Zephyr as a flying cell tower enabling the expansion of mobile network coverage in remote areas where building traditional cell phone masts would be prohibitively expensive. Aalto claims Zephyr can deliver low-latency, high-bandwidth cell phone communications directly to handsets, obviating the need for and cost of building and renting land for dozens or even hundreds of expensive cell towers, depending on the terrain, augmenting existing cell phone networks. 

The flight not only allowed Aalto to test the payload and characterise the performance of the connectivity system, but the company also validated improvements to Zephyr’s flight envelope to provide more stability and better performance.

“Zephyr’s return to stratospheric testing and operations is an important step in its commercial roadmap,” said Aalto CEO Hughes Boulnois. 

“For many years, we have worked with strategic partners on promoting technological innovation and opportunities across connectivity and Earth-observation markets," Boulnois said. "Now, thanks to the strategic vision of Kenyan regulators, we are one step closer to commercialising the stratosphere."

The site in Kenya is the first of a planned five to six locations around the world where Aalto hopes to operate its Aaltoports. The ports— where the Zephyrs can be assembled, launched and recovered—must be situated in areas where weather conditions are generally calm and favourable. 

Having multiple Aaltoports would mean the company could have access to the stratosphere on any given day, so if the weather were to be poor at one site, Zephyrs could be launched and ferried to another.

The EMA Lander will be aboard the MBR Explorer, and will be deployed to study the 7th asteroid Justitia, as part of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA). 

Under this agreement, TII will lead the design, development and testing phases of the lander, as well as providing opportunities for startups’ participation in the development of the project, in line with the mission’s commitment of allocating 50% of the project to UAE based companies, as it aims to create substantial economic opportunities, spur Emirati startups, and attract international partnerships.

“The Technology Innovation Institute was selected due to their vast expertise and technical capabilities in the field of advanced technology, which will be a great asset in promoting the mission's success. This selection also reflects our keenness to leverage the best national expertise and capabilities to achieve our future objectives and execute sophisticated space projects in line with the highest international standards. EMA is progressing according to the schedule, and we will work together with our partners to ensure the success of the mission, develop a sustainable and integrated ecosystem in our national space sector, and consolidate the UAE's position as a leading country in this vital sector,” said Mohsen Al Awadhi, Director of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt.

"This groundbreaking collaboration underscores the UAE’s pioneering efforts in interplanetary exploration and the cultivation of a thriving space technology ecosystem. Space exploration is not just a frontier—it is a passion we embrace wholeheartedly, driving us to push the boundaries of innovation and solidify the UAE’s position as a global leader in space science and technology” said Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO at the Technology Innovation Institute.

The mission spans 13 years, with a six-year spacecraft development phase followed by a seven-year voyage to the main asteroid belt beyond Mars. The "MBR Explorer" spacecraft will conduct a series of close flybys of seven asteroids, gathering invaluable, unprecedented data during these encounters, and will finally deploy the lander on the seventh asteroid “Justitia”.