The United Arab Emirates reaches for the Red Planet
The oil industry is no longer enough for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Gulf state says it is diversifying its economy, by reaching for the stars - and Mars.
Its government has declared that a fully-fledged space sector is now "a primary national objective". It sits neatly alongside its past aims.
High ambitions have led to one of the world's fastest growing aviation sectors and high culture is on the radar too, albeit taking slightly longer than expected.
Branches of Paris's Louvre and New York's Guggenheim museums are scheduled to open soon in Abu Dhabi.
Now, with this focus on high-tech, the UAE is planning to build an unmanned space probe called Hope in the next six years, designed to orbit Mars for up to four years.
It is also setting up the Middle East's first space research centre, costing $27m over five years, and the region's first space degree for masters students. [ Click to Read Full Article]
