On Feb. 14, 2021, the UAE released the first image from Mars from its Hope Probe, becoming the first Arab nation to establish a scientific presence at the Red Planet. The spacecraft had entered Mars’ orbit days earlier, placing the UAE alongside China, the European Space Agency, India, Russia, and the US as the only ones to achieve the feat. Officials framed the photo as a defining national moment and proof that a Gulf space program could deliver complex scientific missions.
Five years on, Gulf space ambitions are still unfolding: Oman is building the Etlaq Spaceport and promising to cut launch approvals to as little as 45 days in order to attract commercial rocket operators. Saudi companies are planning low-orbit satellite networks for secure regional communications, and Emirati officials say the model behind Hope (which encompassed both international collaboration and local capacity building) is being replicated across tech and science programs.