EXPERT VIEW - For only the second time since its launch in 1998, the International Space Station (ISS) has welcomed an Arab astronaut. Sultan al-Neyadi will spend six months in orbit in what will be the longest Arab space mission in history. The Middle East is poised to play a significant role in a global space industry that was valued near $470 billion in 2022.
The Cipher Brief spoke with Middle East Expert Norm Roule about the growing Arab presence in space and how the region is looking at opportunities in the crowded space market.
The Cipher Brief: How are you looking at Middle East investment in space and what do you see as some of the strategic goals in the region that are driving investment in new space technologies?
Roule: The role played by the Middle East in the commercial and official space sectors has expanded significantly in recent years. Many in the U.S. tend to consider Israel as the cutting edge on Middle East space issues due to its past investment in indigenous and foreign satellite assets and their robust high-tech private sector. Israel is still one of only a few countries worldwide that builds and launches its satellites independently. For several reasons, including a complicated budget process and competing high-priority requirements, the Israeli government has not invested as heavily or consistently in the space sector as its Arab neighbors in recent years. Revitalizing its public sector role will require a national space strategy and a more reliable budgetary focus.
At the same time, the past decade has seen steady growth in space programs by the United Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Each of these countries has established astronaut programs. The UAE sent an unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2021, as the Arab world's first interplanetary mission and last year, sent a rover to the moon. A successful landing of the Emirati rover vehicle would make the Emirates only the fourth country to land on the moon. That’s quite an achievement.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has concluded multiple agreements with the U.S., including joining NASA’s Artemis program. A space agreement was one of the agreements that President Joe Biden signed while in Riyadh in July, 2022. The Kingdom also has a laudable approach to using satellites to bring the internet to portions of the world that are hampered by poor communications infrastructure.
A fair number of Arab countries have established space agencies, and space-related infrastructure, have facilitated regional space cooperation, have launched their own satellites and have promoted commercial exploitation of space.
Arab space programs vary in size and ambition, but resourcing has been reliable, and their leadership is impressive. Oman, Egypt, and the Emirates are among the countries that have established space research centers. Qatar has started a space program, and Egypt is also the headquarters of the African Space Agency. Morocco has one of the oldest space programs in the Arab world, having launched around 1989, and Rabat has already started space cooperation with the US, Spain, the UAE, and France.
The Cipher Brief: The Arab world launched its first satellite decades ago. How active is the region in the satellite sector?
Roule: You are correct. It has been nearly 40 years since the first Arab satellite, the ArabSat-1 communications satellite, was launched with French assistance. Satellite operations have become routine in recent years, probably more than most people know.
Between 2000 and 2019, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology launched 16 Saudi satellites into orbit. Jordan’s first satellite, a cubesat, was launched in 2018. Egypt launched several satellites since that year as well. Bahrain was an early entry into satellite development and since the Abraham Accords, has worked to develop space-related cooperation with Israel. Kuwait launched a nanosatellite in January, which I believe was its second. This January, the unfortunate Virgin Orbit launch failure destroyed an Omani satellite. I think Rabat launched at least two satellites, the last being in 2018.
The Cipher Brief: What can you tell us about the people leading these regional initiatives?
Roule: Anyone spending more than a few minutes with regional space leaders such as Emirati Minister Sara al-Amiri or Saudi Minister Abdallah al-Swaha will be confident that they are committed to wide-ranging and thoughtful space programs. They have strong staffs and bring strong technical backgrounds and solid political support to their assignments.
Oman has announced its intention to build the Middle East’s first spaceport in its port city of Duqm. One can imagine that others may seek a similar infrastructure.
The Cipher Brief: What are Middle Eastern countries looking for from these investments?
Roule: Like others, the Arab world is well aware of the national security and the commercial, environmental, and social importance of space programs. Many Arab states seek to use technology investments to encourage the study of STEM subjects as are their domestic high-tech sectors. Space programs are a great way to ignite these efforts.
Other equally powerful drivers exist beyond national pride. The region’s use of geospatial products for military and national security programs is growing. Urban development and sustainability programs rely heavily on geospatial inputs. The Arab world wants to be part of the scientific and commercial exploitation of space operations. Some of their plans are dramatic, including participation in moon landings, the Mars program, and asteroid mineral exploitation.
The Cipher Brief: Would you describe the Arab programs as competitors or partnerships?
Roule: A mix of each. Broadly, Arab programs are supported by the Arab Space Cooperation Group, an organization established in 2019, in the UAE that includes members from the Middle East and Africa. This forum helps regional countries share lessons and identify opportunities for collaboration. Bilateral cooperation also exists. For example, Bahrain worked with a UAE University to launch its first nanosatellite, the Light-1, in 2021. Competition exists, which will probably spur efficiencies and accomplishments in the various programs as it does between the U.S., Europe, Russia, and China.
The Cipher Brief: We haven’t yet seen a lot of Arab astronauts in space. What do we know about who is in the pipeline?
Roule: Quite a bit. They have backgrounds in cancer research, epidemiology, information technology network security, biomedical studies, and aeronautical sciences. Several are also experienced fighter pilots.
Before now, only two Arab astronauts operated in space. The first was Prince Sultan bin Salman, son of King Salman, who flew aboard the space shuttle in 1985. The UAE then made history in 2019, when Emirati astronaut Hazza al-Mansouri worked onboard the ISS. The UAE also selected the Arab world’s first female astronaut, Nora Al-Matrooshi, in 2021. In September 2022, the Saudi Space Authority launched the Kingdom’s Astronaut Program. Saudi Arabia’s astronaut cadre now includes four astronauts, two of whom are women.
The UAE built on its record with the recent arrival of Emirati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi at the ISS. The ISS will soon see the arrival of Saudi female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, who will become the first female Arab astronaut in space. Another Saudi colleague, Ali Al-Qarni, will join her.
One more point. ‘Najmonaut’ is a word coined to refer to an Arab astronaut. Najm in Arabic means star, and Emirati astronaut (or rather najmonaut) Sultan al-Neyadi is popularly known in the Emirates as the “Sultan of Space.”
The Cipher Brief: How do Muslim astronauts manage the issues of prayer and observing Ramadan?
Roule: The issues of prayer times and how to manage the observation of Ramadan is interesting given that Muslim astronauts are operating in an environment with an unusual definition of sunrise and sunset. The ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes and brings sixteen sunrises and sunsets daily. Muslim astronauts may follow the time zone used on the ISS, Greenwich Mean Time, or Mecca time to organize their prayer obligations.
However, this isn’t a new challenge. The space program has addressed such requirements in the past. When Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman – the first Muslim in space – flew aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery in 1985, he began the mission on the last day of Ramadan and was fasting the day the launch took place. Although astronauts indeed count as travelers and thus can be excused from some fasting requirements, he wrote that he periodically fasted while in Space. His fellow crew members stayed awake to join him when he broke his fast. I believe he also celebrated Eid al-Fitr aboard the space shuttle. A Malaysian astronaut also spent several days of Ramadan in space in 2007, and held an Eid party with his fellow astronauts.
The presence of Arab astronauts will certainly add to the cultural diversity of life aboard the ISS.
The Cipher Brief: What is the relationship like between the U.S. space organizations and those of Arab countries?
Roule: Arab space programs rely on multiple foreign partners, including the UK, France, India, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China. But the U.S. role is the most significant and most consequential. Companies such as SpaceX and Axiom Space have played an essential role in these programs, to everyone’s benefit. Space operations are expensive and ridesharing with new partners assists innovation and helps boost the financial stability of emerging private sector space firms.
The Cipher Brief: Are there any political minefields within these programs?
Roule: Arab states – which traditionally avoid Great Power rivalry – have been outspoken about the need to prevent the politicization of space. They also recognize that they are relatively late entries into a crowded field. As Low Earth Orbit (LEO) systems proliferate, there is growing concern about space junk, emerging rules and location deconfliction that cannot be resolved without robust international coordination.
The Cipher Brief: How do these programs compare with Iran’s space program?
Roule: The DNA of Arab programs and Iran’s space programs is quite different. Iran has legitimate commercial and scientific interests in space, but its military manages its program. It looks to me like an effort to mask an ICBM program or military observation effort under a space effort. The program is supported by Russia but heavily relies on indigenous expertise and routinely suffers technical failures. Arab programs also have military aspects, but they are managed by civilian entities and intertwined with commercial partners with no interest or experience in furthering missile programs.
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