China plans to build a new facility in the Middle East to help the region train talent and develop technology in the space sector . Nanjing-based start-up Origin Space, the United Arab Emirates University’s National Space Science and Technology Centre and the University of Hong Kong’s Laboratory for Space Research signed a letter of intent in Abu Dhabi last week to build a joint research and development centre in the city. At the new centre, researchers and engineers from China and the UAE will work together to build remote-sensing satellites and space telescopes and pursue deep space exploration missions together, said Origin Space’s founder and chief executive Su Meng. “The UAE is an increasingly important regional leader and global player in space exploration and commercialisation. We are very excited to tap into the Middle East market from here,” Su said on Friday. Will China’s science shake-up boost innovation or ‘shock’ scientists? With an initial investment of 30 million yuan (US$4.3 million), the centre will be located near Khalifa Port in the China-UAE Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park, a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative , China’s global infrastructure plan. Space has become a national focus for the UAE in recent years as the country looks to rebrand from a major oil producer to a hi-tech hub. The country’s space agency launched a probe to Mars in 2020 to study its atmosphere, and its first moon rover is expected to land on the lunar surface next month. While the UAE has largely partnered with countries such as the United States and Japan in the past, it is increasingly working with China as political and economic ties have deepened since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2015. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai and the China National Space Agency signed a memorandum of understanding last September to collaborate on future lunar missions, including carrying the UAE’s second moon rover on board China’s Chang’e-7 mission to the lunar south pole around 2026. One of the centre’s missions will be to develop remote-sensing satellites to monitor the UAE’s agricultural systems, oil and border security as well as provide data services to meet the country’s needs, Su said. The centre will also build space telescopes to observe the near-earth environment, detect asteroids and space debris, and help manage space traffic. Su said the company was also hoping to launch a joint mission to retrieve samples from an asteroid. “The key goal is to nurture local talent so they can master the know-how to design and build their own cutting-edge spacecraft,” Su said. The HKU Laboratory for Space Research will host interns from the UAE, promote the exchange of staff and students, and prepare young talent for the new space economy, according to astrophysicist and lab director Quentin Parker. China urges Saudi Arabia to help speed up efforts for Gulf free-trade zone Parker, who was in Abu Dhabi to sign the letter of intent, said he was “astonished” by the infrastructure and pace of urban construction in the country. “What’s exciting for me is that in an emerging multipolar world, UAE is open to do business with the world – and not just with the West,” Parker said. He added that a memorandum of understanding on the R&D centre could be signed as early as June. Founded in 2019, Origin Space is dedicated to the exploitation and use of space resources. It has launched six satellites so far, including a “lobster-eye” X-ray detection satellite and China’s first commercial telescope in the optical and ultraviolet wavebands to detect asteroids and space junk. The company plans to send a total of 100 telescopes into low-Earth orbit by 2025 to form a constellation for astronomical observation, space debris monitoring and nighttime remote sensing.