UAE Space Agency chief stresses importance of sovereignty in space in Paris
UAE Space Agency chief Ahmad Al-Falasi said at an international space summit in Paris, France, that states should prioritize sovereignty and private-sector integration when developing space infrastructure. The National reports.
Cooperation and autonomy
Al-Falasi, who also serves as the UAE’s minister of sports, noted that geopolitics affects the implementation of space projects. According to him, the United Arab Emirates has developed space infrastructure over recent decades, balancing sovereignty and autonomy.
The official said that the UAE accelerated this development through cooperation with international partners, including Europe, China, the United States and Israel. The country’s strategy, he said, envisages developing a sovereign space sector and tripling commercial space industry revenues within five years. Al-Falasi also expressed hope for the deployment of flexible and interoperable infrastructure.
At the summit, UAE-based investment company Marlan Space announced a $1 billion investment in the development of artificial intelligence satellites jointly with US-based Loft Orbital. The company described the project as the world’s largest artificial intelligence satellite infrastructure.
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Space and Europe’s security
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that as the number of satellites grows rapidly, competition in space has intensified and should, in his view, be turned into cooperation. He also called on Elon Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink to strike Russian ballistic missile launch sites.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Commission had proposed allocating €131 billion for defense, security and space — five times the current level of funding. French President Emmanuel Macron called the European space sector vulnerable but stressed its potential. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Paris and Berlin are working on developing a secure European Union internet constellation.
Pistorius also described the war waged by the Russian Federation, as an aggressor state, against Ukraine as an example of how space and cyberspace can give international military operations a new, large-scale dimension.
