21-05-2025
UAE astronauts say humanity can achieve 'great things' when working together
The Arab world's first astronaut and its first female astronaut captivated audiences in Berlin as they spread the word about using AI in the space sector and sharing that knowledge with Europe.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), alongside other entities in Dubai, graced the halls at Messe Berlin for GITEX EUROPE, which runs from May 21 to 23. Hazzaa Al Mansouri and Nora Al Matrooshi, two Emirati astronauts with MBRSC, spoke to Khaleej Times about their participation in GITEX Europe X AI.
'We are utilising AI and technology and analysing pictures and database that we collected from our satellites to analyse them in helping the community, agencies, sectors in Dubai and the UAE in general,' Al Mansouri said. In terms of MBRSC's impact on the European city, Al Mansouri added that 'We are here to show that we can implement technology, AI and space together and we cannot just separate them apart.'
'Specifically, at GITEX, our role here as astronauts is to showcase how technology and AI can be utilised to benefit the astronauts and utilise their time properly,' Al Matrooshi told Khaleej Times. 'Instead of having an astronaut there to control the arm and move it around, we can use AI to do that, and to have the astronaut use that time to do something else.'
She said she hopes that MBRSC's participation will impact Europe's space sector in terms of accelerating the innovation and technology aspect.
For her future plans, Al Matrooshi wants to train and learn more, because 'as astronauts, [we] never actually stop training. There are new tools, new equipment that are being invented each and every day and we, as end users, have to test them out,' she said.
'Our role is not only to go to space,' Al Matrooshi added. 'It's also to show that humanity as a whole, when working together, can achieve great things.'
GITEX, which stands for Gulf Information Technology Exhibition, is originally an Emirati creation, but has expanded over the years into eight other countries, including Germany, Morocco, and Singapore. It kicked off back in 1981 and is currently one of the world's largest tech and startup exhibition.
