Under the patronage of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE Space Agency will launch its official strategy and operational plan this week in Abu Dhabi on 25 May.

The official launch event will showcase the aims of the strategy and plan, which are to strengthen the foundations of the space sector and work towards creating a developed and integrated industry that will enable the UAE to become one of the leading countries in space science exploration.

The UAE Space Agency launch will include a focus on the Agency's mission, values and priorities for the future. The event will also introduce a number of initiatives and programmes being carried out in line with the Agency's strategic goals.

The 5th Global Space & Satellite Forum (GSSF), will begin the following day on 26 May and will outline the importance of investment in space education and how it can support the growth of the industry and national security. GSSF 2015 will examine the complete journey that emerging and developed space regions need to take from research through to development and modern applications. The forum is officially endorsed and hosted by the UAE Space Agency.

The UAE Space Agency will also launch a space museum at the forum, which will aim at enhancing knowledge and understanding of the UAE Space industry. As part of GSSF, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) will run a competition to conduct scientific research and comprehensive study in designing and implementing state-of-the-art applications for the use of Earth Observation images acquired by DubaiSat-2.

The competition aims at promoting the utilisation of the DubaiSat-2 mission data. DubaiSat-2 products are expected for a wide range of disciplines spanning from land use and land cover, topography and geology and others. The competition is open to participants across UAE research institutions and universities. Participants are accepted individually or in a group of maximum of 5 members.

GSSF 2015 will also flag the growing investments being made in the space industry. With an investment exceeding USD 5.44 billion in commercial and scientific space projects the UAE is steadily progressing towards becoming a truly international player within the space sector. The investment in space technologies are shared among several companies and space programmes including Satellite Communications Companies Yahsat, Thuraya and the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) who lead the DubaiSAT 1 and DubaiSAT 2 programmes.