Ashraf AboArafe
His Excellency the CEO of the Saudi Space Agency (SSC), Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, participated yesterday in the activities of the New Space Horizons Conference, which is held as part of the official program of the “Egypt International Airshow 2024”, which began its work today in the Egyptian city of El Alamein, with the attendance of an elite group of space agency leaders and prominent figures in the field of space from various countries in Africa and the Middle East.
During his participation in a discussion session on “International Support for Developing Space Programs for Emerging Countries”, His Excellency the President of the Saudi Space Agency spoke about the responsibilities that must be enforced to help emerging countries develop their space programs, and the importance of international cooperation in this field.
He stressed that the global space sector is witnessing rapid growth, as its size is expected to exceed two trillion dollars by 2035, with a growth rate of 9% annually, explaining that the countries that contribute significantly to this sector have resources and expertise that can be harnessed to support the space programs of emerging countries, which helps them build their capabilities and contribute to space exploration.
His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi pointed out that deepening partnerships and enhancing international cooperation allows for benefiting from cooperative programs, access to space-related resources and technologies, and expertise that individual national programs may lack, citing the European Copernicus Earth Observation Program and the International Space Station as a successful model for international cooperation in the field of space.
His Excellency also touched on the opportunities available to emerging countries in the plans of the Saudi Space Agency, explaining that the Kingdom is working to enhance its global leadership role in the space sector by recently establishing the “Space Future Center” aimed at supporting international cooperation and formulating global policies, and enhancing sustainability and responsibility in this field.
He stressed the need to enhance international cooperation by establishing more organized frameworks for joint projects, and increasing investment in capacity-building and education programs for emerging countries, which leads to building an integrated and cooperative space community that contributes to enhancing the growth of the space economy, and supporting sustainable development efforts.
The conference is expected to discuss, during its agenda of activities and effective work, the most prominent issues and challenges facing the space sector in the region, ways to enhance international cooperation to support emerging space programmes in the region, mechanisms to enhance space sustainability, in addition to reviewing models of cooperation between the public and private sectors to develop the space industry.
