It is not a secret that planetary science and space exploration is a growing interest among the general public in general and youth in the Arab world, and more specifically in the UAE given the recent success of the Emirates Hope mission to Mars, and the planned follow up with a Lunar mission as part of the general national directive to invest in space research and potentially construct a colony on Mars by the year 2117.
In response, KU is building a solid foundation for space and planetary science. The KU Space and Planetary Sciences Group (SPSG) is involved in a nationally unprecedented number of current and prospective national and international space missions for various bodies in our Solar System including but not limited to the Moon, Mars, comets and the Kuiper Belt and beyond at the outer reaches of our solar system. We also offer the infrastructure and expertise to foster, develop, and train future Emirati and Arab space science professionals and researchers.
Our core strategic goal is to become a regional hub for space and planetary science research. We welcome researchers and students from all around the world who share our enthusiasm for space exploration.
A joint research program was established between Khalifa University and the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) to analyze data from the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM).
This KU-CU/LASP agreement laid the foundation for the KU Space Science Group, with five post-doctorial researchers splitting their time between this group and the EMM Space Science Partners.
