UAE Space Agency

The UAE Space Agency (UAESA), established in 2014 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is the UAE federal government body responsible for regulating, developing, and promoting the United Arab Emirates' space sector — one of the most ambitious national space programs launched by a non-legacy spacefaring nation in the 21st century, achieving planetary exploration within a decade of its founding.

UAESA's most celebrated achievement is the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM, Hope Probe / Al-Amal), developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). Hope launched aboard a Mitsubishi H-IIA rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre in July 2020 and entered Mars orbit in February 2021 — making the UAE the fifth entity (and first Arab nation) to reach Mars orbit. Hope's three science instruments study the Martian atmosphere and the connections between lower and upper atmosphere dynamics, with all acquired science data publicly released to the global research community.

The UAE Space Agency is now coordinating the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), targeting a multi-asteroid flyby and sample-rendezvous mission to the main asteroid belt's mixed-composition asteroid population — an extraordinarily ambitious science mission that would exceed the complexity of any prior UAE mission. EMA is planned for launch in 2028 with arrival at multiple asteroid targets through 2034.

UAESA regulates commercial space activities in the UAE, licensing commercial satellite operators and establishing the regulatory framework for UAE-based space ventures. The agency coordinates with MBRSC, Bayanat, Yahsat, Thuraya, and international programs, channeling the UAE government's substantial investment in space as a pillar of economic diversification beyond oil revenues.

The agency competes for scientific leadership with ESA, ISRO, JAXA, and CNSA in planetary science, and drives the UAE's aspiration to land Emirati astronauts on the Moon under the Artemis framework by 2030.