The United Arab Emirates will contribute to the construction of NASA’s new Moon space station by developing the facility’s airlock module.
NASA’s Gateway Space Station will orbit the Moon and serve as an interchange for crews to move from spacecraft to lunar landers and the vacuum of space.
The airlock, to be constructed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre will provide the literal gateway between the station and space, enabling crews to perform station maintenance and science in deep space.
US Vice President Kamala Harris announced the partnership between NASA and MBRSC on Sunday local time, saying it furthers the White House’s priority for “international cooperation in space”.
“By combining our resources, scientific capacity, and technical skill, the US and UAE will further our collective vision for space and ensure it presents extraordinary opportunities for everyone here on Earth,” Harris said.
“The UAE’s provision of the airlock to Gateway will allow astronauts to conduct groundbreaking science in deep space and prepare to one day send humanity to Mars.”
NASA and the UAE have previously collaborated in space endeavours, including with the launch of Emirati astronauts Hazzaa Almansoori to the International Space Station in 2019 and Sultan Al Neyadi last year. NASA is currently training two other UAE astronauts at its Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Originally published by Cosmos as UAE to build airlock for NASA’s Moon gateway
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