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.
Vanishing oil
One motivation behind these high-value, job-creation programmes is to diversify the economy. The UAE currently relies on oil for 40% of its earnings.
The low and volatile price of oil is not the only problem. There is a much darker cloud on the horizon. A fear of oil vanishing altogether.
When I saw the UAE's leader-in-waiting speak last February, I was stunned by his frankness.
Addressing a crowd of dignitaries, delegates and journalists in a five-star, air-conditioned Dubai resort, as we sat sipping lemon mint cocktails, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed predicted his desert kingdom's oil and gas supplies would dry up within 50 years.
The crowd fell silent as the message sank in: all gone by 2065.
He said developing education, innovation and security, as well as a diversified economy, would secure his country's post-oil future.
So it is perhaps no surprise that the UAE has big plans for its new space agency- and wants to reach for the Red Planet.
Dr Mohamed Nasser Al Ahbabi, director general of the UAE Space Agency, says he wants the country to move from buying-in satellite systems to one that part-buys and part-builds its own systems.
In the past, UAE-engineered satellites have been built in South Korea and launched from Russia and Kazakhstan.
Limited PvP -> PvE Free Character Transfers
The Cataclysm Classic Pre-Expansion Patch Arrives April 30
Why is it so hard to find a Mythic raiding guild that isn't full of toxic people?
MMO-Champion
Recent Blue Posts
Recent Forum Posts
Reply With Quote
