The United Arab Emirates seeks to build the first ever human settlement on Mars by 2117. The ‘Mars 2117 Project’ is set to be developed and executed in partnership with major international research institutions, news agencies reported on Feb 14.
This unique Arab space project was launched on the sidelines of the 5th World Government Summit which was held last Tuesday in the city of Dubai.
If successful, the unveiled mission will be the first inhabitable human settlement on the red planet.
According to USAToday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice president of the UAE announced: “The landing of people on other planets has been a longtime dream for humans. Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality.”
“The UAE is one of the world’s leaders in space science investments, and we aim to accelerate the research in this scientific field. The new project is a seed that we plant today, and we expect future generations to reap the benefits, driven by its passion to learn to unveil a new knowledge,” Sheikh Mohammed continued.
The project will initially focus on preparing the human cadres able to achieve scientific breakthrough to facilitate the arrival of humans to Mars over the next decades. It will start with an Emirati scientific team and will be extended to include international scientists and researchers.
The project will focus on developing faster means of transportation between Earth and the neighboring planet. It will also come up with an integrated scientific visualization of how the settlement will look, and how life there will be in term of food, transportation and energy among many others.
Interestingly, in July 2014, the UAE has also announced that it would create a space agency with the aim of sending the first Arab unmanned probe to Mars by 2021.
